a·bort (-bôrt)
v. a·bort·ed, a·bort·ing, a·borts
v.intr.
1. To give birth prematurely or before term; miscarry.
2. To cease growth before full development or maturation.
3. To terminate an operation or procedure, as with a project, missile, airplane, or space vehicle, before completion.
v.tr.
1.
a. To cause to terminate (a pregnancy) prematurely, especially before the fetus is viable.
b. To cause the expulsion of (an embryo or fetus) before it is viable.
c. To give premature birth to (an embryo or fetus).
2. To interfere with the development of; conclude prematurely: abort plans for a corporate takeover.
3. To terminate before completion: abort a trip because of illness; abort a takeoff.
4. To stop the progress of (a disease, for example).
n.
1. The act of terminating an operation or procedure, as with a project, missile, airplane, or space vehicle, before completion.
2. Computer Science A procedure to terminate execution of a program when an unrecoverable error or malfunction occurs.

[Latin abortre, frequentative of aborr, abort-, to disappear, miscarry : ab-, away; see ab-1 + orr, to appear; see er-1 in Indo-European roots.]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. abort - 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"
ending, termination, conclusion - the act of ending something; "the termination of the agreement"
Verb 1. abort - terminate before completion; "abort the mission"; "abort the process running on my computer"
terminate, end - bring to an end or halt; "She ended their friendship when she found out that he had once been convicted of a crime"; "The attack on Poland terminated the relatively peaceful period after WW I"
2. abort - cease development, die, and be aborted; "an aborting fetus"
croak, decease, die, drop dead, buy the farm, cash in one's chips, give-up the ghost, kick the bucket, pass away, perish, snuff it, pop off, expire, conk, exit, choke, go, pass - pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life; "She died from cancer"; "The children perished in the fire"; "The patient went peacefully"; "The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of 102"
3. abort - terminate a pregnancy by undergoing an abortion
miscarry - suffer a miscarriage
eject, expel, release, exhaust, discharge - eliminate (a substance); "combustion products are exhausted in the engine"; "the plant releases a gas"

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