26984 words

abort

7 definitions • 10 examples
1
to cause something to stop or fail before it begins or before it is complete:

Examples:

The mission had to be aborted at the last minute.
If something goes wrong during the launch sequence the system will automatically abort.
2
to stop the development of a baby that has not been born, usually by having a medical operation:

Examples:

He declared that women have a right to abort a nonviable fetus.
The decision to abort may be based on many factors.
3
to have a miscarriage (= an early, unintentional end to a pregnancy):

Examples:

The bacterial infection can cause animals to abort.
4
to stop something before it has begun or to cause something to fail before it is complete:

Examples:

Engineers aborted the test flight at the last minute.
5
to end a pregnancy before a baby is fully developed
6
to stop an activity before it begins or before it is complete:

Examples:

abort a test/trial/plan We were forced to abort the test as a result of technical problems.
abort a launch/merger/deal Money has been wasted on aborted deals.
7
to stop a computer process before it is complete:

Examples:

abort a program/command/operation This command tells the server to abort the previous FTP service command.
If the file is not present, the script will abort.

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