the trait of lacking restraint or control; reckless freedom from inhibition or worry
"she danced with abandon"
A yielding to natural impulses or inhibitions; freedom from artificial constraint, with loss of appreciation of consequences.
"The crowd went into a wild abandonment when the fireworks display began, cheering and laughing without caring if they got burned."
In plain English: An abandon is not actually a noun; it refers to doing something with wild, uncontrolled energy and no regard for rules or safety.
"The sudden abandonment of the project left everyone confused and frustrated."
To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions.
"She abandoned herself to her grief and wept uncontrollably."
In plain English: To abandon something means to leave it behind and stop caring about it anymore.
"After years of struggling, she chose to abandon her plan to open a restaurant."
Usage: Use "abandon" when you mean to leave something behind permanently without returning, such as abandoning a project or an animal in the rain. Do not confuse this with synonyms like "quit," which implies stopping temporarily, since abandonment suggests giving up completely and often involves leaving someone or something vulnerable.
The word "abandon" comes from the Old French verb abandoner, which combined a preposition meaning "at" or "to" with a noun for jurisdiction or control. This original sense of placing something under someone's authority eventually evolved to mean leaving it behind without care.