abound

verb \ ə-ˈbau̇nd \

|Updated on: 2 Aug 2018

Examples: abound in a Sentence

Definition of abound

abounded; abounding; abounds

intransitive verb

1 : to be present in large numbers or in great quantity : to be prevalent

a business in which opportunities abound

errors and inconsistencies abound

2 : to be copiously supplied —used with in or with

life abounded in mysteries
—Norman Mailer

institutions abound with evidence of his success
—Johns Hopkins Magazine

See abound defined for English-language learners

See abound defined for kids

Examples of abound in a Sentence

They live in a region where oil abounds.
a city that abounds with art museums and private galleries

Recent Examples of abound from the Web

Like other exhibits and showcases at the fair, the 2018 OC Fair Juried Exhibition is a competition with cash prizes, and blue ribbons abound for Best of Show and top winners in each division and category.

— richard chang, latimes.com, "Art offers a feast of a different kind for OC Fair visitors," 12 July 2018
But investigationsand claims into Pruitt about other violations also abound.

— glenn fleishman, Fortune, "How Scott Pruitt Blew It: A List of Scandals That Led to the EPA Chief's Resignation," 5 July 2018
July 4th holiday events abound around the Kansas City area, from fireworks displays to parades to festivals to fun runs.

— dan kelly, kansascity, "Don’t have Independence Day plans? Here’s everything going on around KC July 3-4," 2 July 2018
Theories have abounded for decades that viruses might be involved in Alzheimer’s, especially herpes viruses, which have a special affinity for nerve cells.

— NBC News, "Childhood virus HHV linked with Alzheimer's decades later," 21 June 2018
Coverage restrictions — sometimes almost nonsensical ones — already abound for less costly technologies.

— kylah goodfellow klinge, STAT, "Why does my health insurer sabotage my efforts to manage my diabetes?," 19 June 2018
And yet, while changes abound for Main Street, one thing that will always remain the same is that small businesses embody the best that the USA has to offer.

— steve strauss, USA TODAY, "USA & Main: Welcome to USA TODAY's new storefront for small businesses and entrepreneurs," 7 June 2018
Water disputes abound within the country and among its neighbors.

— kamakshi ayyar, Time, "The Global Water Crisis: Why Are India’s Taps Running Dry?," 6 June 2018
Opportunities abound in the digital world for immediacy in communications, as everyone knows and Trump demonstrates with every tweet.

— Washington Post, "How quaint: US-NKorea diplomacy via exchange of letters," 2 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abound.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of abound

Middle English abounden, borrowed from Anglo-French abunder, borrowed from Latin abundāre "to overflow, be full, be plentifully supplied (with)," from ab- ab- + undāre "to rise in waves, surge, flood," verbal derivative of unda "wave" — more at ¹water

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

abound Synonyms

Synonyms

brim, bristle, bulge, burst, bustle, buzz, crawl, hum, overflow, swarm, teem;

Near Antonyms

lack, need, want;

ABOUND Defined for Kids

abound

verb \ ə-ˈbau̇nd \

Definition of abound for Students

abounded; abounding

1 : to be plentiful : teem

Salmon abound in the river.

2 : to be fully supplied

The book abounds with pictures.

Word Root of abound

The Latin word unda, meaning “wave,” gives us the root und. Words from the Latin unda have something to do with waves. To undulate is to move up and down like a wave. To inundate is to cover with a flood of waves. To surround, or encircle on all sides, is to enclose as if by waves. To abound is to be plentiful, like waves in the ocean.