noun
abandonment
uh-BAN-dn-mnt
noun
1
The act of leaving someone or something behind completely, or the state of having been left that way.
"The children were taken into care after their parents' abandonment."
"The company faced criticism over its abandonment of the small town factory."
2
In law, the formal giving up of a right, claim, or piece of property.
"The inventor's abandonment of the patent application meant anyone could use the idea."
How to Use Abandonment
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe state or act of being completely left behind, whether that's a person, a place, or a legal right.
Common pairings
feelings of abandonment
abandonment of a claim
Word Forms
abandonments plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “abandonment”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The children were taken into care after their parents' _____.
Etymology
From French abandonnement, from abandonner ("to abandon"), ultimately from the same root as English "abandon".