diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c51081c3..a2b82568 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ Options:
   delayed 33ms.
 - `retryDelay`: Native only. Time to wait between retries, using
   linear backoff. Default `100`.
+- `signal` Pass in an AbortSignal to cancel the directory
+  removal. This is useful when removing large folder structures,
+  if you'd like to limit the amount of time spent. Using a
+  `signal` option prevents the use of Node's built-in `fs.rm`
+  because that implementation does not support abort signals.
 
 Any other options are provided to the native Node.js `fs.rm` implementation
 when that is used.
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 4321ec8c..7074d23f 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ export interface RimrafOptions {
   retryDelay?: number
   backoff?: number
   maxBackoff?: number
+  signal?: AbortSignal
 }
 
 const typeOrUndef = (val: any, t: string) =>
@@ -74,13 +75,13 @@ export const moveRemove = Object.assign(wrap(rimrafMoveRemove), {
 })
 
 export const rimrafSync = wrapSync((path, opt) =>
-  useNativeSync() ? rimrafNativeSync(path, opt) : rimrafManualSync(path, opt)
+  useNativeSync(opt) ? rimrafNativeSync(path, opt) : rimrafManualSync(path, opt)
 )
 export const sync = rimrafSync
 
 export const rimraf = Object.assign(
   wrap((path, opt) =>
-    useNative() ? rimrafNative(path, opt) : rimrafManual(path, opt)
+    useNative(opt) ? rimrafNative(path, opt) : rimrafManual(path, opt)
   ),
   {
     // this weirdness because it's easier than explicitly declaring
diff --git a/src/rimraf-move-remove.ts b/src/rimraf-move-remove.ts
index 821eff4a..a9e7e15b 100644
--- a/src/rimraf-move-remove.ts
+++ b/src/rimraf-move-remove.ts
@@ -73,6 +73,9 @@ export const rimrafMoveRemove = async (
   path: string,
   opt: RimrafOptions
 ): Promise<void> => {
+  if (opt?.signal?.aborted) {
+    throw opt.signal.reason
+  }
   if (!opt.tmp) {
     return rimrafMoveRemove(path, { ...opt, tmp: await defaultTmp(path) })
   }
@@ -122,6 +125,9 @@ export const rimrafMoveRemoveSync = (
   path: string,
   opt: RimrafOptions
 ): void => {
+  if (opt?.signal?.aborted) {
+    throw opt.signal.reason
+  }
   if (!opt.tmp) {
     return rimrafMoveRemoveSync(path, { ...opt, tmp: defaultTmpSync(path) })
   }
diff --git a/src/rimraf-posix.ts b/src/rimraf-posix.ts
index 0f678938..f567bc9d 100644
--- a/src/rimraf-posix.ts
+++ b/src/rimraf-posix.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ import { RimrafOptions } from '.'
 import { ignoreENOENT, ignoreENOENTSync } from './ignore-enoent.js'
 
 export const rimrafPosix = async (path: string, opt: RimrafOptions) => {
+  if (opt?.signal?.aborted) {
+    throw opt.signal.reason
+  }
   const entries = await readdirOrError(path)
   if (!Array.isArray(entries)) {
     if (entries.code === 'ENOENT') {
@@ -41,6 +44,9 @@ export const rimrafPosix = async (path: string, opt: RimrafOptions) => {
 }
 
 export const rimrafPosixSync = (path: string, opt: RimrafOptions) => {
+  if (opt?.signal?.aborted) {
+    throw opt.signal.reason
+  }
   const entries = readdirOrErrorSync(path)
   if (!Array.isArray(entries)) {
     if (entries.code === 'ENOENT') {
diff --git a/src/rimraf-windows.ts b/src/rimraf-windows.ts
index 176f3e7a..2e3245c7 100644
--- a/src/rimraf-windows.ts
+++ b/src/rimraf-windows.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,11 @@ const rimrafWindowsDirMoveRemoveFallback = async (
   path: string,
   opt: RimrafOptions
 ) => {
+  /* c8 ignore start */
+  if (opt?.signal?.aborted) {
+    throw opt.signal.reason
+  }
+  /* c8 ignore stop */
   try {
     await rimrafWindowsDir(path, opt)
   } catch (er) {
@@ -41,6 +46,9 @@ const rimrafWindowsDirMoveRemoveFallbackSync = (
   path: string,
   opt: RimrafOptions
 ) => {
+  if (opt?.signal?.aborted) {
+    throw opt.signal.reason
+  }
   try {
     rimrafWindowsDirSync(path, opt)
   } catch (er) {
@@ -61,6 +69,9 @@ export const rimrafWindows = async (
   opt: RimrafOptions,
   state = START
 ): Promise<void> => {
+  if (opt?.signal?.aborted) {
+    throw opt.signal.reason
+  }
   if (!states.has(state)) {
     throw new TypeError('invalid third argument passed to rimraf')
   }
diff --git a/src/use-native.ts b/src/use-native.ts
index 97642176..fba2583b 100644
--- a/src/use-native.ts
+++ b/src/use-native.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 const version = process.env.__TESTING_RIMRAF_NODE_VERSION__ || process.version
 const versArr = version.replace(/^v/, '').split('.')
 const hasNative = +versArr[0] > 14 || (+versArr[0] === 14 && +versArr[1] >= 14)
+import { RimrafOptions } from './index.js'
 // we do NOT use native by default on Windows, because Node's native
 // rm implementation is less advanced.  Change this code if that changes.
 import platform from './platform.js'
-export const useNative =
-  !hasNative || platform === 'win32' ? () => false : () => true
-export const useNativeSync =
-  !hasNative || platform === 'win32' ? () => false : () => true
+export const useNative: (opt?: RimrafOptions) => boolean =
+  !hasNative || platform === 'win32' ? () => false : opt => !opt?.signal
+export const useNativeSync: (opt?: RimrafOptions) => boolean =
+  !hasNative || platform === 'win32' ? () => false : opt => !opt?.signal
diff --git a/tap-snapshots/test/index.js.test.cjs b/tap-snapshots/test/index.js.test.cjs
index fa1e9960..fa006ef9 100644
--- a/tap-snapshots/test/index.js.test.cjs
+++ b/tap-snapshots/test/index.js.test.cjs
@@ -19,7 +19,9 @@ Array [
   ],
   Array [
     "useNative",
-    undefined,
+    Object {
+      "a": 1,
+    },
   ],
   Array [
     "rimrafPosix",
@@ -40,7 +42,9 @@ Array [
   ],
   Array [
     "useNativeSync",
-    undefined,
+    Object {
+      "a": 2,
+    },
   ],
   Array [
     "rimrafPosixSync",
@@ -66,7 +70,9 @@ Array [
   ],
   Array [
     "useNative",
-    undefined,
+    Object {
+      "a": 1,
+    },
   ],
   Array [
     "rimrafNative",
@@ -87,7 +93,9 @@ Array [
   ],
   Array [
     "useNativeSync",
-    undefined,
+    Object {
+      "a": 2,
+    },
   ],
   Array [
     "rimrafNativeSync",
diff --git a/test/rimraf-move-remove.js b/test/rimraf-move-remove.js
index d6d9c54f..31b9c5ce 100644
--- a/test/rimraf-move-remove.js
+++ b/test/rimraf-move-remove.js
@@ -500,3 +500,39 @@ t.test('rimraffing root, do not actually rmdir root', async t => {
   })
   t.end()
 })
+
+t.test(
+  'abort if the signal says to',
+  { skip: typeof AbortController === 'undefined' },
+  t => {
+    const { rimrafMoveRemove, rimrafMoveRemoveSync } = t.mock(
+      '../dist/cjs/src/rimraf-move-remove.js',
+      {}
+    )
+    t.test('sync', t => {
+      const ac = new AbortController()
+      const { signal } = ac
+      ac.abort(new Error('aborted rimraf'))
+      const d = t.testdir(fixture)
+      t.throws(() => rimrafMoveRemoveSync(d, { signal }))
+      t.end()
+    })
+    t.test('async', async t => {
+      const ac = new AbortController()
+      const { signal } = ac
+      const d = t.testdir(fixture)
+      const p = t.rejects(() => rimrafMoveRemove(d, { signal }))
+      ac.abort(new Error('aborted rimraf'))
+      await p
+    })
+    t.test('async, pre-aborted', async t => {
+      const ac = new AbortController()
+      const { signal } = ac
+      const d = t.testdir(fixture)
+      ac.abort(new Error('aborted rimraf'))
+      await t.rejects(() => rimrafMoveRemove(d, { signal }))
+    })
+
+    t.end()
+  }
+)
diff --git a/test/rimraf-posix.js b/test/rimraf-posix.js
index 6172a4ce..f80025db 100644
--- a/test/rimraf-posix.js
+++ b/test/rimraf-posix.js
@@ -205,3 +205,27 @@ t.test('rimraffing root, do not actually rmdir root', async t => {
   })
   t.end()
 })
+
+t.test('abort on signal', { skip: typeof AbortController === 'undefined' }, t => {
+  const {
+    rimrafPosix,
+    rimrafPosixSync,
+  } = require('../dist/cjs/src/rimraf-posix.js')
+  t.test('sync', t => {
+    const d = t.testdir(fixture)
+    const ac = new AbortController()
+    const { signal } = ac
+    ac.abort(new Error('aborted rimraf'))
+    t.throws(() => rimrafPosixSync(d, { signal }))
+    t.end()
+  })
+  t.test('async', async t => {
+    const d = t.testdir(fixture)
+    const ac = new AbortController()
+    const { signal } = ac
+    const p = t.rejects(() => rimrafPosix(d, { signal }))
+    ac.abort(new Error('aborted rimraf'))
+    await p
+  })
+  t.end()
+})
diff --git a/test/rimraf-windows.js b/test/rimraf-windows.js
index 719bff65..f492bdef 100644
--- a/test/rimraf-windows.js
+++ b/test/rimraf-windows.js
@@ -490,3 +490,38 @@ t.test('do not allow third arg', async t => {
   t.rejects(rimrafWindows(ROOT, {}, true))
   t.throws(() => rimrafWindowsSync(ROOT, {}, true))
 })
+
+t.test(
+  'abort on signal',
+  { skip: typeof AbortController === 'undefined' },
+  t => {
+    const {
+      rimrafWindows,
+      rimrafWindowsSync,
+    } = require('../dist/cjs/src/rimraf-windows.js')
+    t.test('sync', t => {
+      const d = t.testdir(fixture)
+      const ac = new AbortController()
+      const { signal } = ac
+      ac.abort(new Error('aborted rimraf'))
+      t.throws(() => rimrafWindowsSync(d, { signal }))
+      t.end()
+    })
+    t.test('async', async t => {
+      const d = t.testdir(fixture)
+      const ac = new AbortController()
+      const { signal } = ac
+      const p = t.rejects(() => rimrafWindows(d, { signal }))
+      ac.abort(new Error('aborted rimraf'))
+      await p
+    })
+    t.test('async, pre-aborted', async t => {
+      const ac = new AbortController()
+      const { signal } = ac
+      const d = t.testdir(fixture)
+      ac.abort(new Error('aborted rimraf'))
+      await t.rejects(() => rimrafWindows(d, { signal }))
+    })
+    t.end()
+  }
+)
diff --git a/test/use-native.js b/test/use-native.js
index 943c1bf7..aa3c362e 100644
--- a/test/use-native.js
+++ b/test/use-native.js
@@ -46,6 +46,15 @@ if (!process.env.__TESTING_RIMRAF_EXPECT_USE_NATIVE__) {
   })
 } else {
   const expect = process.env.__TESTING_RIMRAF_EXPECT_USE_NATIVE__ === '1'
+  if (expect) {
+    // always need manual if a signal is passed in
+    const signal =
+      typeof AbortController !== 'undefined' ? new AbortController().signal : {}
+    //@ts-ignore
+    t.equal(useNative({ signal }), false)
+    //@ts-ignore
+    t.equal(useNativeSync({ signal }), false)
+  }
   t.equal(useNative(), expect)
   t.equal(useNativeSync(), expect)
 }