abort Meaning, Definition & Usage

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

WordNet

A*bort" intransitive verb
Etymology
L. abortare, fr. abortus, p. p. of aboriri; ab + oriri to rise, to be born. See Orient.
Definitions
  1. To miscarry; to bring forth young prematurely.
  2. (Biol.) To become checked in normal development, so as either to remain rudimentary or shrink away wholly; to become sterile.
A*bort" noun
Etymology
L. abortus, fr. aboriri.
Definitions
  1. An untimely birth. Obs. Sir H. Wotton.
  2. An aborted offspring. Obs. Holland.

Webster 1913