aback take someone aback | take/catch by surprise, dumbfound, nonplus, stop/halt sb in their tracks, unnerve, disconcert, unsettle, stop/halt/free in your tracks, bewilder shake up; (inf) knock sideways abandon (v) 1. the party abandoned
policies which made it
unelectable | wash ones hands of, do away with, give up, disclaim, disown, discard, dispense with forswear 2. by that stage, she had abandoned painting | give up, desist from, have done with, abstain from, forgo, discontinue break off, refrain from, set aside, pack in; (inf) cut out, jack in 3. he abandoned his wife and children | leave high and dry, forsake turn ones back on, cast aside, break (up) with, leave stranded, leave in the lurch, throw over; (inf) walk out on, run out on, bin off, give sb the push 4. the skipper gave the order to abandon ship | depart from, withdraw from 5. a vast expanse of territory was abandoned to invaders | surrender give up 6. she abandoned herself to the sensuousness of the music | indulge in, give way to, give oneself up to, yield to, lose oneself to/in abandon (n) reckless restrain | lack of restrain/inhibition recklessness, uninhibitedness, wildness, impulsiveness, impetuosity, immoderation, wantonness OPP self-control abandoned (adj) 1. an abandoned child | cast aside/off forsaken 2. an abandoned tin mine unused, disused, unoccupied, uninhabited 3. a wild, abandoned dance uninhibited, reckless, unrestrained, unbridled, impulsive, immoderate