English Reference

Word

aborted

Phoneticsabort·ed

US/əˈbɔɹtɪd/

UK/ɐbˈɔːtɪd/

Definition

adj. stopped or ended before it was finished because something went wrong. You use this to describe a plan, mission, or process that failed to complete.

adj. terminated prematurely before reaching completion or full development. Often used to describe technical missions, medical procedures, or biological processes that cease before the expected end.

Examples

“The pilot returned to the gate after an aborted takeoff.”

“The team analyzed the data from the aborted mission to ensure the next launch would be successful.”

“The project was eventually abandoned, leaving behind several aborted attempts at a software redesign that never reached the beta testing phase.”

Examples

simple

“The pilot returned to the gate after an aborted takeoff.”

contextual

“The team analyzed the data from the aborted mission to ensure the next launch would be successful.”

complex

“The project was eventually abandoned, leaving behind several aborted attempts at a software redesign that never reached the beta testing phase.”

Usage

Often used as a participial adjective before a noun or after a linking verb like 'remain'.

Real-World Examples

“In the parcel plot, one man failed to find a pick-up point and the whole mission had to be aborted.”
BBC News · 4 Sept 2026
“At that point the pursuit was aborted, the IOPC said.”
The Guardian · 23 Aug 2026

Etymology

From abort + -ed.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Domain

Biology

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/aborted

English Reference