Definition

1. Verb:

   • To terminate a pregnancy before the fetus can survive outside the uterus: This is the most common medical meaning, referring to the deliberate or spontaneous ending of a pregnancy.
   • To stop or cancel a process, mission, or activity before its planned completion: This meaning applies to projects, procedures, computer operations, or plans that are halted prematurely.
   • To cease development and end prematurely: Used in biology or technology to describe something that fails to develop fully and stops.

2. Noun:

   • The act of terminating something before completion: This refers to the instance or process of stopping a project, mission, or procedure.
   • The premature ending of a flight, mission, or process: Often used in technical contexts like aerospace or computing.

Usage Examples

• Verb:

  • The doctor had to abort the procedure due to complications.
  • The pilot decided to abort the takeoff when an alarm sounded.
  • The program will abort if it encounters a critical error.

• Noun:

  • The mission was declared an abort after the engine failure.
  • We initiated an abort of the launch sequence.

Advanced Usage

• "to abort to" (Computing): To terminate a process and return control to a specified state or program.

  • The application will abort to the main menu if the file is corrupted.

• "abort state": The condition of a system or process after an abort has been initiated.

  • The rocket is now in a safe abort state.

Variants and Related Words

• Abortion (n): The medical process of terminating a pregnancy; the premature ending of something.
• Abortive (adj): Failing to succeed; unsuccessful and therefore ended prematurely.
  • They made an abortive attempt to climb the mountain.
• Aborter (n): One who or that which aborts (less common).

Synonyms

• Verb: Terminate, halt, stop, cancel, scrap, call off, discontinue.
• Noun: Termination, cancellation, stoppage, discontinuation.

Related Phrasal Verbs / Constructions

• Abort out of: To exit or terminate from a specific state or mode.
  • You can abort out of the installation wizard at any time.

Related Idioms

• "Abort mission!": A direct command, often used in dramatic contexts (military, space, or figurative), to immediately stop an operation.
  • When the security breach was detected, the team leader yelled, "Abort mission!"

Noun

1. the act of terminating a project or procedure before it is completed
   • I wasted a year of my life working on an abort
   • he sent a short message requesting an abort due to extreme winds in the area

Verb

1. terminate a pregnancy by undergoing an abortion
2. cease development, die, and be aborted
   • an aborting fetus
3. terminate before completion
   • abort the mission
   • abort the process running on my computer