abode

noun

ə-ˈbōd 

1

: the place where one lives : home

were reluctant to leave their lifelong abode

Welcome to my humble abode.

2

: a temporary stay : sojourn

… if any such dares to continue his abode in a family where his coming was an unauthorized intrusion …

—Walter Scott

3

obsolete : wait, delay

Synonyms

• residence
• dwelling
• house
• home
• lodging
• roof
• place

Examples of abode in a Sentence

welcome to my humble abode

Recent Examples on the Web

Back inside, the abode is all about high-gloss living. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2025

Our newest discovery at Amazon, the Generic 2-Story Prefabricated Tiny Home, is a one-bedroom abode with a spacious floor plan, a roomy deck, and a front porch for just $17,700. —Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025

In the family for eight generations, the sprawling abode in chilly Sag Harbor is the Blakey crown jewel: beautiful, big, and all theirs. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025

Biles and Owens tied the knot in April 2023 and the Courage to Soar author started documenting the progress of their new abode on social media in September. —Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abade, abode, from bade, bode "stay, delay" (going back to Old English bād "expectation, period of waiting," probably going back to Germanic *baiđ-, noun derivative from the base of *bīđ- "wait, bide") crossed with abiden "to abide"

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing abode

• no fixed abode
• place of abode

Rhymes for abode

• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad
• decode

Kids Definition

abode

noun

ə-ˈbōd 

: the place where one stays or lives

Legal Definition

abode

past and past participle of abide