abandoning

verb

present participle of abandon
1
as in indulging
to give (oneself) over to something especially unrestrainedly more than ready to abandon himself to a life of complete idleness for the duration of his vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leaving
to cause to remain behind abandoned the group that he had been hiking with and struck out on his own

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in canceling
to put an end to (something planned or previously agreed to) the bad weather forced NASA to abandon the launch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in discontinuing
to stop doing (something) permanently marriage customs that were abandoned decades ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abandoning August 23 – September 22 Creating a budget does not mean abandoning joy. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026 Virgo August 23 – September 22 Creating a budget does not mean abandoning joy. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2026 The designer’s most radical choice was abandoning the use of white throughout the unit. — Valentina Lonati, Architectural Digest, 22 Aug. 2026 The Light Flip is an ambitious device, addressing the issues with vintage flip phones while adopting modern technology without abandoning the minimal tech counterculture movement. — Anthony Karcz, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Ludlow considered abandoning the beach fest and moving the headline shows into the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park and Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, which led to several headliners dropping out. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The train is, of course, a classic example of the perennial perils of sunk costs; abandoning the line seems absurd (even to us) given how much money would be written off. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 But those are arguments for doubling down on NYC Reads, improving implementation, and permanently funding this critical effort, not abandoning or withdrawing from it. — Evan Stone, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026 Leaving items behind in a store can feel different from abandoning an online cart. — Connie Etemadi, Freep.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abandoning
  1. indulging
  2. leaving
  3. canceling
  4. discontinuing
  5. surrendering
  6. forsaking
  7. scrapping
  8. quitting
Verb
  • Whether the race ever happens, the idea is pure Shaq, a celebrity who's renowned for indulging his passions, of which cars are near the top of the list.
    — Terry Baddoo, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Here was a doctor borrowing the language of a fast food brand while encouraging people not to fear indulging.
    — Karin Eldor, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of indulging
Verb
  • But that process has proven slippery for more than 250 communities that received no bids for the 2026-27 season, leaving them to choose whether to stay with the state and wait for emergency bids or find alternative sources.
    — Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Amenities and experiences The Rockaway Hotel makes a pretty convincing case for never leaving the property.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of leaving
Verb
  • The agent reported that the API lacked authorization checks for canceling other people's reservations.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Hong's past social media comments over canceling Thanksgiving may have played a role in her downfall.
    — Emily R. Condon, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of canceling
Verb
  • The magazine claims that the company considered moving production of the four-door away from its primary factory in Stuttgart, Germany, as well as discontinuing it even sooner, before settling on gradually phasing out the model by 2030.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Agios Pharmaceuticals is discontinuing the development of a next-generation drug called tebapivat for sickle cell disease.
    — Elaine Chen, STAT, 21 July 2026
Definition of discontinuing
Verb
  • Not even surrendering 18 runs can disrupt the drill, so there sat Espada atop the dais after a disastrous Thursday night.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Taking Getty's money, however, also meant surrendering control.
    — Nicole Kraft, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of surrendering
Verb
  • Supporters of 2022 World Cup champions Argentina were among the most visible in Doha during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with some saving for four years and forsaking home-buying in order to make the trip.
    — Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
  • If bigger and better opportunities come along, striking while the iron is hot is a logical course of action, even when moves sometimes appear to make more sense for financial reasons than footballing ones and forsaking the comfort of operating in a stable environment.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
Definition of forsaking
Verb
  • The Cowboys and Saints were fined $500,000 apiece for scrapping at their joint practice this week.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In early January, Microsoft revealed its involvement and kicked off a PR blitz — holding town halls, pledging not to drive up power bills and, in a major shift, scrapping non-disclosure agreements and property tax breaks with local governments.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of scrapping
Verb
  • The Rush legend is far from the first musician to publicly talk about quitting weed in some fashion — though only some of them stuck to it, and one of them was totally making it up.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Instead Liz spent most of the night driving around, thinking about quitting school.
    — Felice J. Freyer, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of quitting

Browse Nearby Words

abandoners
abandoning
abandonment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abandoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abandoning. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All