abandon

(ə-băn'dən)
tr.v., -doned, -don·ing, -dons.

1. To withdraw one's support or help from, especially in spite of duty, allegiance, or responsibility; desert: abandon a friend in trouble.
2. To give up by leaving or ceasing to operate or inhabit, especially as a result of danger or other impending threat: abandoned the ship.
3. To surrender one's claim to, right to, or interest in; give up entirely. See synonyms at relinquish.
4. To cease trying to continue; desist from: abandoned the search for the missing hiker.
5. To yield (oneself) completely, as to emotion.

n.

1. Unbounded enthusiasm; exuberance.
2. A complete surrender of inhibitions.

[Middle English abandounen, from Old French abandoner, from a bandon : a, at (from Latin ad; see ad-) + bandon, control.]

abandoner a·ban'don·er n.
abandonment a·ban'don·ment n.

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verb

1. To give up or leave without intending to return or claim again: desert, forsake, leave, quit, throw over. Idioms: run out on, walk out on. See keep/release.
2. To give up a possession, claim, or right: abdicate, cede, demit, forswear, hand over, quitclaim, relinquish, render, renounce, resign, surrender, waive, yield. See keep/release.
3. To let (something) go: cede, forgo, lay down, relinquish, surrender, yield. See keep/release.
4. To cease trying to accomplish or continue: break off, desist, discontinue, give up, leave off, quit, relinquish, remit, stop. Informal swear off. Slang lay off. Idioms: call it a day, call it quits, hang up one's fiddle, have done with, throw in the towel. See continue/stop/pause.
5. To yield (oneself) unrestrainedly, as to a particular impulse: give over, give up, surrender. See resist/yield.

noun

1. A complete surrender of inhibitions: abandonment, incontinence, unrestraint, wantonness, wildness. See restraint/unrestraint.
2. A careless, often reckless disregard for consequences: carelessness, heedlessness, thoughtlessness. See careful/careless.

n

Definition: careless disregard for consequences
Antonyms: restraint, self-restraint

v

Definition: leave behind, relinquish
Antonyms: cherish, defend, keep, pursue, retain, support

v

Definition: leave in troubled state
Antonyms: adopt, assert, favor, uphold

IN BRIEF: To give up completely. To desert.

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon. — The Dalai Lama

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sign description: Both open 5-hands make a dropping motion.

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Dreams of being abandoned may simply reflect one's actual situation (e.g., as in the case of someone being divorced) or arise from fears of being deserted or rejected. Similarly, such dreams may occur around the time of the death of a loved one or when some other loss occurs. On a more positive note, abandonment may also symbolize the letting go of old attitudes, letting go of the past. Abandonment is a powerful general metaphor for many kinds of anxieties because it harkens back to the experience of feeling left out or left behind by our parents when we were children. Thus, a wide range of different situations, from simple loneliness to a sense of betrayal, can be represented in abandonment dreams.

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For a list of words related to abandon, see:

• Agitation, Abnormality, and Instability - abandon: freedom from normal restraints in behavior

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See words rhyming with "abandon."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Abandon.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Common misspelling(s) of abandon

• abondon

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - forlade, opgive, ikke fuldføre
n. - løssluppenhed, tøjlesløshed, hæmningsløshed

Nederlands (Dutch)
in de steek laten, verlaten, afzien van, afstand doen van, afgelasten, ongedwongenheid

Français (French)
v. tr. - abandonner (un navire, etc), renoncer à (un projet, un principe, etc), délaisser (qn)
n. - laisser-aller, désinvolture, entrain

Deutsch (German)
v. - verlassen, im Stich lassen, aussetzen, verzichten auf, fallenlassen, ausfallen
n. - Hemmungslosigkeit

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - εγκαταλείπω, παρατώ
n. - αυθορμητισμός, ανεμελιά

Italiano (Italian)
abbandonare, abdicare, rinunciare a, disinvoltura

Português (Portuguese)
v. - abandonar
n. - abandono (m)

Русский (Russian)
покидать, оставлять, отказываться от чего-либо, быть удаленным (с поля), несдержанность

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - abandonar, dejar, desamparar, prescindir de, renunciar a, ser eliminado
n. - abandono, desenfado

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - överge, överlämna
n. - munterhet, uppsluppenhet

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
丢弃, 中止, 放弃, 遗弃, 抛弃, 使放纵, 放纵, 放任, 狂热

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 丟棄, 中止, 放棄, 遺棄, 拋棄, 使放縱
n. - 放縱, 放任, 狂熱

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 버리다, 단념하다, 양도하다
n. - 방종

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 捨てる, 捨てて去る, やめる
n. - 勝手気まま, 奔放

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يهجر, يتخلى عن, يتنازل (الاسم) تخلي, تنازل, هجر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮נטש, הפקיר, ויתר על‬
n. - ‮התרת רסן, התפרקות‬

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