“Abandon the sinking ship” is an idiomatic expression that refers to the act of leaving or withdrawing from a failing situation, project, or organization in order to avoid disaster or further harm. It draws from the metaphor of abandoning a ship that is sinking—indicating the decision to escape a situation before it worsens. This phrase is often used to describe people who abandon something or someone when it becomes clear that success is no longer possible or when staying would lead to negative consequences.
Sample Sentences:
- When the company’s financial troubles became too great, many of the top executives decided to abandon the sinking ship.
- The team had no choice but to abandon the sinking ship when the project’s goals became unrealistic.
- After hearing about the department’s upcoming layoffs, she chose to abandon the sinking ship and find a new job.
- When the stock market crashed, investors started to abandon the sinking ship of the failing company.
- As the relationship became toxic, he realized it was time to abandon the sinking ship and move on.
- With deadlines looming and resources dwindling, the project manager decided to abandon the sinking ship.
- The political party, once thriving, began to abandon the sinking ship as scandals and corruption tore it apart.
- She abandoned the sinking ship of her startup when she realized it wasn’t going to recover from its losses.
- When the sports team was far behind in the game, the fans began to abandon the sinking ship and left the stadium early.
- The company’s outdated technology was dragging down its performance, and many employees chose to abandon the sinking ship.
Synonyms:
- Abandon the failing venture
- Cut loose from the disaster
- Leave the crumbling enterprise
- Escape the doomed situation
- Jump ship
- Flee the collapse
- Desert the sinking cause
- Walk away from the failure
- Leave the sinking boat
- Quit a lost cause
Antonyms:
- Stick it out
- Stay the course
- Hold on
- Persevere
- Commit to the cause
- Stay loyal
- Fight to the end
- Stand by
- Continue the effort
- See it through
Phrasal Verbs:
- Jump ship (to leave or abandon a failing organization or situation)
- Walk away from (to leave or abandon a situation or project)
- Cut loose from (to sever ties with something or someone, especially when it’s no longer viable)
- Bail out (to provide financial or other assistance to avoid failure, or to abandon a failing situation)
- Give up on (to stop believing in or supporting something, especially when it’s beyond saving)
Idiomatic Expressions:
- Jump the ship (to leave an organization or project in decline, often suddenly)
- Throw in the towel (to quit or abandon a project when it’s clear it won’t succeed)
- Call it quits (to end involvement in something that’s no longer working)
- Pull the plug on (to end something prematurely due to failure)
- Cut your losses (to stop investing time, money, or effort in a failing situation)
- Bail out (to help someone escape from a situation, or to leave when things go wrong)
- Leave high and dry (to abandon someone or something in a difficult or hopeless situation)
- Leave in the lurch (to abandon someone or something when they need help the most)
- Hit the exit (to leave a failing situation)
- Draw the line (to stop participating when things are no longer sustainable)
