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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026a•bort /əˈbɔrt/USA pronunciation
v.
- Surgery[no object] (of a female) to bring forth a fetus before it is able to live.
- Surgery[~ + object] to cause to bring forth (a fetus) before it is able to live.
- Pathology[~ + object] to cause (a pregnancy) to terminate.
- to (cause to) fail or stop too early;
to come to an end: [no object]The missile flight aborted.[~ + object]They aborted the space flight.
n. [countable]
- Military, Rocketrythe ending of a missile flight, mission, etc., before completion: Mission control, that's an abort.
See -ori-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026a•bort
(ə bôrt′),USA pronunciation v.i.
- Pathologyto bring forth a fetus from the uterus before the fetus is viable;
miscarry.
- to develop incompletely;
remain in a rudimentary or undeveloped state.
- to fail, cease, or stop at an early or premature stage.
- Militaryto fail to accomplish a purpose or mission for any reason other than enemy action.
- [Rocketry.](of a missile) to stop before the scheduled flight is completed.
v.t.
- to cause to bring forth (a fetus) from the uterus before the fetus is viable.
- Pathologyto cause (a pregnant female) to be delivered of a nonviable fetus.
- to cause to cease or end at an early or premature stage:We aborted our vacation when the car broke down.
- Military, Rocketryto terminate (a missile flight, mission, etc.) before completion.
- to put down or quell in the early stages:Troops aborted the uprising.
n.
- Military, Rocketrya missile, rocket, etc., that has aborted.
- Latin abortus miscarried (past participle of aborīrī to disappear, miscarry) equivalent. to ab- ab- + -or- come into being + -tus past participle suffix
- 1570–80
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
abort /əˈbɔːt/ vb - to undergo or cause (a woman) to undergo the termination of pregnancy before the fetus is viable
- (transitive) to cause (a fetus) to be expelled from the womb before it is viable
- (intransitive) to fail to come to completion; go wrong
- (transitive) to stop the development of; cause to be abandoned
- (intransitive) to give birth to a dead or nonviable fetus
- (of a space flight, military operation, etc) to fail or terminate prematurely
- (intransitive) (of an organism or part of an organism) to fail to develop into the mature form
n - the premature termination or failure of (a space flight, military operation, etc)
Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin abortāre, from the past participle of aborīrī to miscarry, from ab- wrongly, badly + orīrī to appear, arise, be born
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