abandon suggests that the thing or person left may be helpless without protection.
abandoned children
desert implies that the object left may be weakened but not destroyed by one's absence.
a deserted town
forsake suggests an action more likely to bring impoverishment or bereavement to that which is forsaken than its exposure to physical dangers.
a forsaken lover
Example Sentences
forsaking most of our possessions, we evacuated just before the hurricane struck
Recent Examples on the WebCan scheduling challenges and revenue potential finally compel Notre Dame to forsake its independent status in football? Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 5 July 2022 The Good News: God always hears your cries and will never forsake you. Elizabeth Berry, Woman's Day, 2 Aug. 2022 While so many women are told to forsake their natural gray hair, one bride just proved gray can be the most gorgeous color of them all. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 16 July 2022 One of the most important men of the Bible, Abraham swore never to forsake God and to follow Him in all things. Martha Sorren, Woman's Day, 11 July 2022 The odds are that many of those pure tech heads-down developers will go for the more technical or technologically revered metric and forsake the other, such as skirting around the interface at the benefit of getting the least amount of code. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 7 July 2022 Afterwards, Russia’s larger warships had to forsake shore-bombardment missions targeting the area around Odessa and pulled further back in the Black Sea to avoid the surveillance/strike range of Ukraine’s coastal missiles. Sebastien Roblin, Forbes, 17 June 2022 Persevere in the faith, cast off all fear and keep your heart strong; God will never forsake you. Elizabeth Berry, Woman's Day, 4 May 2022 Unlike her husband Allen, who is willing to forsake his brothers to lead a more modern life in line with Brenda's upbringing, she's unabashedly attracted to his family name. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 29 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English forsacan, from for- + sacan to dispute; akin to Old English sacu action at law — more at sake
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of forsake was before the 12th century