What does "abandons" mean?

1. (to leave behind) to leave a person, place, or thing forever. 2. (to stop doing) to stop doing something before it is finished. 3. (lack of control) a feeling of being completely free and not caring what others think.

abandons

US //əˈbændənz// UK //ɐbˈændənz// aban·dons

1 to leave behind (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to leave a person, place, or thing forever.

to desert or leave behind a person, place, or thing with no intention of returning. Transitive; requires a direct object.

Example

The captain abandons the sinking ship only after every passenger is safe.

Example

The developer often abandons ambitious projects halfway through when the initial funding begins to dry up unexpectedly.
- stays
- remains
2 to stop doing (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to stop doing something before it is finished.

to cease a course of action or an activity permanently.

Example

The team abandons the search for the lost keys when it gets dark.

Example

The government usually abandons unpopular policies just before an election to avoid losing the support of moderate voters.
- continues
- persists

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3 lack of control (n.)
C1 Advanced Literary

a feeling of being completely free and not caring what others think.

a state of acting without restraint or regard for convention. Usually used in the singular, but the plural can appear in literary contexts to describe multiple instances of such behavior.

Example

The festival was full of wild dances and joyful abandons.

Example

The poet described the various abandons of the youth, who lived for the moment without a thought for the future.
- restraint
- control