abort

1 of 2

verb

ə-ˈbȯrt 

aborted; aborting; aborts

intransitive verb

1

: to bring forth stillborn, nonviable, or premature offspring

2

: to become checked in development so as to degenerate or remain rudimentary

3

: to terminate a procedure prematurely

the pilot decided to abort due to mechanical difficulties

transitive verb

1

a

: to induce the abortion of or give birth to prematurely

b

: to terminate the pregnancy of before term

2

a

: to terminate prematurely : cancel

abort a project

abort a spaceflight

b

: to stop in the early stages

abort a disease

aborter noun

abort

2 of 2

noun

: the premature termination of a flight (as of an aircraft or spacecraft), a mission, or an action or procedure relating to a flight

a launch abort

Synonyms

Verb

• abandon
• call
• call off
• cancel
• cry off
• drop
• recall
• repeal
• rescind
• revoke
• scrap
• scrub

Examples of abort in a Sentence

Verb

They decided to abort the pregnancy.

abort the launch of a rocket

I suggest that you abort the project.

The mission had to be aborted.

When problems occurred during the launch, it was necessary to abort.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Two commercial flights were forced to abort landings at Reagan National Airport due to a military helicopter. —David Shepardson, USA Today, 3 May 2025

Runway incursions captured national attention again most recently after a Southwest Airlines plane had a close call with a private jet that entered a runway at Chicago Midway Airport on Feb. 25, prompting the Southwest pilots to abort landing to avoid a potential crash. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2025

Noun

This would necessitate a mandatory abort of the docking attempt. —ArsTechnica, 1 Apr. 2025

Their bid included a ground test of this abort system, not one in flight. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

in part borrowed from Latin abortus, past participle of aborīrī "to pass away, be lost, (of a fetus) miscarry, be aborted, (of a woman) miscarry," from ab- ab- + orīrī "to rise, come into existence, be born"; in part borrowed from Late Latin abortīre and abortīrī "(of a woman) to miscarry," derivatives of Latin aborīrī — more at orient entry 2

Noun

noun derivative of abort entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1540, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1944, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abort

• airport
• alport
• athwart
• carport
• comport
• consort
• deport
• distort
• escort
• exhort
• extort
• forecourt

Kids Definition

abort

verb

ə-ˈbȯrt

1

: to bring forth premature or stillborn offspring

2

: to become checked in development

3

: to put an end to before completion

abort a project

Medical Definition

abort

intransitive verb

ə-ˈbȯ(ə)rt 

: to bring forth premature or stillborn offspring

the patient aborted spontaneously

compare miscarry

transitive verb

1

a

: to induce the abortion of or give birth to prematurely

b

: to terminate the pregnancy of before term

2

: to stop in the early stages

abort a disease

aborter noun

Legal Definition

abort

transitive verb

ə-ˈbȯrt 

: to induce the expulsion of (a human fetus)