to decide not to do something because you are unlikely to succeedNOUNSabandon an attempt/effort Poor weather forced them to abandon their attempt to climb the mountain.abandon a search When night fell, the police decided to abandon their search for the missing boy.abandon a plan/policy Because of the rain, we abandoned our plan to go for a walk. | He abandoned his family and went to live with another woman.ADVERBSquickly/hastily abandon sb/sth They had to hastily abandon the ship when it started sinking.largely/virtually abandon sb/sth (=almost completely) Her family had largely abandoned her, and she only saw her son occasionally.temporarily abandon sb/sth (=for a short time) Residents were forced to temporarily abandon their homes due to a flood warning.VERBSbe forced to abandon sth Guests were forced to abandon the hotel because of the fire.have to abandon sth The soldiers had to abandon the tanks which had become bogged down in the mud.PHRASESabandon sb to their fate (=leave someone in a bad situation with no one to help them) The wounded soldier had been abandoned to his fate.2. | The captain gave the order to abandon ship.abandon a building We had to abandon the building when the roof began to collapse.abandon a child/family The child was found abandoned outside a hospital.

to leave someone or something completelyNOUNSabandon a car/ship The thieves abandoned the car when it ran out of fuel.

Longman Collocations Dictionary and Thesaurus

Alter ego band live fremont street