English · Word Candidate

abandon

/əˈbæn.dən/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: abandoning

Sense 1

Meaning · English

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

Verb

Examples

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

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

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

Verb

Examples

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.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

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

Noun

Examples

with gay abandon, with wild abandon, with reckless abandon

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “abandon” mean?

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

Is “abandon” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.