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 of abode

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

Examples of abode in a Sentence

welcome to my humble abode

Recent Examples on the Web

Under a treaty, the Common Travel Agreement, Irish citizens have the right of abode in England. —Llewellyn King, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026

The designer, who founded her eponymous label in 2012, built an incredible ski-in/skin-out abode in Aspen in 2021 after spending years in the heart of Chicago. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2026

At the top of the West Tower sits the Strip Suite, a two-bedroom abode that leans fully into a private-home aesthetic. —David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2026

Compared to Royal Lodge and the Sandringham Estate, East Lodge is a humble abode. —Emma Banks, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026

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