Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

abandon-a-sinking-ship

idiom

/əˈbændən ə ˈsɪŋkɪŋ ʃɪp/

Definition

To leave behind a situation or pursuit that is failing or doomed to fail.

Examples

When the project’s budget was cut significantly, the investors decided to abandon a sinking ship.
After realizing that the old business model was no longer viable, they chose to abandon the sinking ship and innovate.
He felt it was time to abandon a sinking ship after countless hours of effort yielded no results.

Meaning

This phrase is often used metaphorically to describe the act of giving up on something that is clearly not going to succeed, similar to how one would evacuate a sinking ship to save oneself.