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Definition abandon in British English

abandon verb

[transitive] verb
/əˈbændən/

▪ belief, claim, commitment, concept, idea, policy, principle

1

to leave someone when you should stay with them and look after them

Example

His mother abandoned him when he was five days old.

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1.1

to suddenly leave someone that you are with

Example

I'm sorry I abandoned you like that.

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2

to leave a place, especially because it is difficult or dangerous to stay there

Example

Most of the villagers have abandoned their homes and fled.

Example

The coastal settlements were abandoned in the 19th century.

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3

to leave something in a place, especially because you are in a hurry or are trying to escape

Example

The stolen car was abandoned only five miles away.

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4

to stop something that you are doing or planning to do, especially because it is too difficult to continue

Example

After 20 lessons I finally abandoned my attempt to learn to drive.

Example

The game had to be abandoned because of rain.

Example

George almost persuaded me to abandon my studies and join him.

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4.1

to stop behaving or talking in a particular way, because it does not help you to achieve what you want

Example

She abandoned caution and began scrambling down the cliff.

Example

By 1978, they had abandoned all pretence of democratic principles.

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5

to stop supporting or helping someone

Example

Hardy felt that he had been abandoned by all his followers.

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Example

Despite current problems, they have not abandoned their commitment to the peace process.

Example

By this time, the steady state theory of the universe had been largely abandoned.

Synonyms and related words
Definition abandon in British English