Meaning & use

abort

verb·Academic

To stop an action, process, or plan before it is completed, especially because of a problem.

See it in a sentence

The pilot had to abort the landing due to strong crosswinds.

Engineers decided to abort the launch after detecting a fuel leak.

A note on using this word

Abort is common in technical and medical contexts; for everyday plans it can sound abrupt, where cancel is more neutral.

Words with a similar meaning

cancelterminate

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “abort”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.