abandon

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

v. t. relinquish, resign, give up, forgo, surrender, discontinue, waive, abdicate; leave, quit, evacuate, withdraw (from); desert, forsake, maroon, discard, drop; let go, throw up, pull out of, have done with, turn one's back on, wash one's hands of; pull out on. See relinquishment, resignation, disuse. —n. rashness, recklessness, impetuosity, impulsiveness, audacity. Ant., retain; continue; restraint.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. unrestraint, spontaneity, freedom, impetuosity, exuberance, uninhibitedness, spirit, verve, enthusiasm, dash, vigor, animation, élan, recklessness.

v.

1. [To give up]

Syn. relinquish, leave off, withdraw from, discontinue, quit, give over, break off, throw over, throw off, let go, cease, desist, renounce, forgo, forswear, dispense with, lay down, cast aside, cast off, cast away, discard, give away, hand over, part with, surrender, forfeit, yield, deliver, cede, lay aside, concede, waive, abdicate, resign, disclaim, back down from, back out of, go back on, break with, break, drop, lose hope of, despair of, have done with, be done with, secede from, bow out, pull out, apostatize, quitclaim, break the pattern, break the habit, chuck*, throw in the towel, throw in the sponge*, cop out*, hang up the fiddle*.

2. [To leave a person, place, or thing in trouble]

Syn. desert, forsake, leave, quit, back out on, run away, break with, break up with, defect, reject, disown, cast off, ostracize, maroon, strand, have done with, be done with, depart from, flee, vacate, evacuate, throw over, throw overboard, jettison, leave behind, slip away from, turn one's back on, stand up*, leave in the lurch*, leave high and dry*, walk out on*, run out on*, skip out on*, fink out on*, take a powder*, duck out*, bolt*, bail out*, turn tail*, leave flat*, leave in the cold*, drop*, ditch*, bid a long farewell*.

Ant. cherish*, uphold, protect.

Syn.- abandon implies leaving a person or thing, either as a final, necessary measure [ to abandon a drought area ] or as a complete rejection of one's responsibilities, claims, etc. [ she abandoned her child ] ; desert emphasizes leaving in willful violation, as of one's obligation or oath [ the soldier deserted his post ] ; forsake stresses renouncing a person or thing formerly dear to one [ to forsake one's friends or ideals ] ; quit , meaning to leave or give up [ I quit my job ] , is also commonly used now simply to mean stop

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

unrestraint, carelessness, free-spiritedness, spontaneity, wildness, wantonness, intemperance, impulsiveness, devil-may-care attitude.

ANT.: restraint, reserve, restriction, self-consciousness

II

v.

leave, desert, discard, forsake, quit, dump, *turn one's back on, cast off, reject, relinquish, discontinue, renounce, lay aside, *leave in the lurch, *cut one's losses, *throw in the towel, strand, drop, give up, *wash one's hands of, *deep six, ditch.

ANT.: stick with, take up, continue, adopt

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I verb 1. To give up or leave without intending to return or claim again: desert3, forsake, leave1, quit, throw over. Idioms: run out on, walk out on. See KEEP. 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. 3. To let (something) go: cede, forgo, lay down, relinquish, surrender, yield. See KEEP. 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. 5. To yield (oneself) unrestrainedly, as to a particular impulse: give over, give up, surrender. See RESIST. II noun 1. A complete surrender of inhibitions: abandonment, incontinence, unrestraint, wantonness, wildness. See RESTRAINT. 2. A careless, often reckless disregard for consequences: carelessness, heedlessness, thoughtlessness. See CAREFUL.