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

But humans aren’t the only creatures who decorate their abodes. —Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2025

The Prince and Princess of Wales' family plans to move from Adelaide Cottage in Windsor to the nearby Forest Lodge in the coming weeks, upgrading from the four-bedroom abode to the eight-bedroom home on the Windsor Great Park estate. —Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025

The nearly 12,000-square-foot contemporary Mediterranean abode was designed by megamansion architect Richard Landry, boasting six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a theater, a game room, a study, and an elevator. —Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2025

Rule 3 tells us to construct our abode of thought with the same care as when constructing a house, such that stability between the parts results. —Alexander T. Englert, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 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