abandon
verb
1 = leave, strand, ditch, leave behind, walk out on, forsake, jilt, run out on, throw over, turn your back on, desert, dump, leave high and dry, leave in the lurch
• He claimed that his parents had abandoned him.
2 = stop, drop, give up, halt, cease, cut out, pack in (Brit. informal), discontinue, leave off, desist from
• The authorities have abandoned any attempt to distribute food.
opposite: continue
3 = give up, resign from, yield, surrender, relinquish, renounce, waive, cede, forgo, abdicate
• efforts to persuade him to abandon his claim to the presidency
opposites: take, keep, hold
noun
= recklessness, dash, wildness, wantonness, unrestraint, careless freedom
• He has splashed money around with gay abandon.
opposites: control, restraint, moderation
in phrases: abandon ship = evacuate, quit, withdraw from, vacate, depart from
• The crew prepared to abandon ship.
verb
opposites: maintain, defend, uphold
abandon yourself to something = indulge in, give way to, yield to, wallow in, give free rein to, lose yourself in, give yourself up to
• We are scared to abandon ourselves to our feelings.
