abandon — ozdic

Collocations

14

1

(verb.) leave sb/sth

ADV

hastily

When the fire alarm sounded, everyone hastily abandoned their desks and rushed outside.

PHRASES

be found/left abandoned

The old house had been left abandoned for many years before the new owners moved in.

2

(verb.) stop doing/supporting sth

ADV

altogether, completely, entirely, totally

She decided to completely abandon her plans to move abroad after getting the job offer.

effectively, largely, virtually

Many countries have largely abandoned the use of landline phones in recent years.

simply

When the project failed, the company simply abandoned their plans to expand overseas.

formally | quickly

quietly

She quietly abandoned her dream of becoming a professional dancer after the injury.

temporarily | voluntarily

VERB + ABANDON

be forced to | decide to

PREP

for

She abandoned her career as a lawyer for a job in environmental conservation.

in favour of

He abandoned his job in favour of starting his own small business.

Definitions

verb

1

To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions.

[…] he abandoned himself […] to his favourite vice.

2

To desist in doing, practicing, following, holding, or adhering to; to turn away from; to permit to lapse; to renounce; to discontinue.

In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […] The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra–wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised.

3

To leave behind; to desert, as in a ship, a position, or a person, typically in response to overwhelming odds or impending dangers; to forsake, in spite of a duty or responsibility.

Many baby girls have been abandoned on the streets of Beijing.

He was abandoned on the island with no one to help him.

4

To subdue; to take control of.

5

To cast out; to banish; to expel; to reject.

Being all this time abandoned from your bed.

noun

1

A yielding to natural impulses or inhibitions; freedom from artificial constraint, with loss of appreciation of consequences. (Now especially in the phrase with abandon.)

with gay abandon, with wild abandon

The Italian painters have an abandon in their chiar' oscuro which mellows up their flesh tints in a way that no other school can imitate : the frigidity of their outline is another remarkable feature, and the harmony of their impasto is unique.

2

Abandonment; relinquishment.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the trait of lacking restraint or control

wantonness
unconstraint

noun — a feeling of extreme emotional intensity

wildness

verb — leave someone who needs or counts on you

verb — leave behind empty

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

6

01

[…] he abandoned himself […] to his favourite vice.

Wiktionary

02

In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […] The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra–wealthy and the companies they control are ab

Wiktionary

03

Many baby girls have been abandoned on the streets of Beijing.

Wiktionary

04

with gay abandon, with wild abandon

Wiktionary

05

The Italian painters have an abandon in their chiar' oscuro which mellows up their flesh tints in a way that no other school can imitate : the frigidity of their outline is another remarkable feature,

Wiktionary

06

I envy those chroniclers who assert with reckless but sincere abandon: 'I was there. I saw it happen. It happened thus.'

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, abandon is marked as obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.