abandon Abandon all hope of seeing your family again. We must abandon the boathouse until the storm is over. [-ed, -ing, abandonment n.], 1. to give up something forever; 2. to leave in a time of danger. [Syn. quit, desert, forsake (Each of these has a slightly different emotion attached to it.)], abbreviate vt. We might abbreviate this word abbrev. The student abbreviated most of the words in his or her class notes to keep up with the teacher’s lecture., up with the teacher’s lecture. [-d, abbreviating, abbreviation n.], ability n. You have the ability to succeed at what you attempt. You have the ability to succeed at what you attempt. An automobile lacks the ablility to pull a freight train., 1. being able; having power to do something; 2. skill, expertise, power, abridge Condensed books abridge the original to appeal to a less than scholarly audience. / The 9-hour Lord of the Rings trilogy was abridged to 1 1/2 hours for its television broadcast., 1. to reduce in scope; 2. to shorten while maintaining the essence. [-d, abridging], abscond Jesse James absconded just ahead of the sheriff. / To abscond often results in a false sense of security., to run away and hide; especially to avoid capture by law enforcers. [-ed, -ing, absconder n.], absolve The Lord absolved the sinner and forgave him. / The jury absolved the accused of any wrongdoing. / Dad absolved Junior of his promise to wash the car., 1. to declare free from guilt; 2. to free from duty or a promise. [-d, absolving, absolver n.] [Syn. pardon, forgive, acquit], absorb The sponge absorbed the entire spill. / Learning fractions absorbed Hailee's full attention. / If we fail to absorb the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat them. / I'll absorb the charge for the window replacement., 1. to suck up; 2. to take up the full energy or attention of; engross; 3. to take in and incorporate; 4. to assume the full cost. [-ed, -ing, absorbant adj.], abstain I shall abstain from smoking or drinking. / Three voted for the bill, two against it, and one abstained., to hold back (from); refrain from. [-ed, -ing, abstention n.], abstract I had an abstract idea of what he meant, but nothing solid. / Frankie's ideas were too abstract to fully comprehend. / We knew about the case from having read the abstract. / Abstract the story, stating only the relevant facts., 1. not concrete; thought of apart from any material object; 2. not easily understood — n. a brief statement of the content of a book, court case, article, etc.; a summary — vt. to remove or take away; to summarize. [-ed, -ing, abstraction n., abstractly adv.], absurd The story that his arms were tired because he had just flown in from Los Angeles was absurd. / The outfit that Gino wore with the red and white striped shirt and the green and yellow checked pants was absurd., 1. so obviously untrue as to be laughable; 2. laughably different from what is reasonable. [absurdly adv., absurdity n.], accentuate When you tell people about your vacation, accentuate the high points and play down the low points. / Wear clothing that accentuates your youthful looks., 1. to pronounce or mark with a stress or accent; 2. emphasize. [-d, accentuating, accentuation n.], acceptable Eating peas at a restaurant using only your knife is not considered acceptable manners. / Dressing in a toga is considered acceptable at certain fraternity parties., adequate; tolerable; bearable; okay

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