abutment

noun

abut·​ment ə-ˈbət-mənt 

plural abutments

1

: the place at which one thing borders on or abuts another

Once it chanced that I stood in the very abutment of a rainbow's arch, which filled the lower stratum of the atmosphere, tinging the grass and leaves around, and dazzling me as if I looked through colored crystal.

—Henry David Thoreau

2

a

: the part of a structure (such as an arch or a bridge) that directly receives thrust or pressure

b

dentistry : a tooth or part of a dental implant to which a prosthetic appliance (such as a bridge or artificial crown) is attached for support

A dental bridge, like a highway bridge … is supported by abutments, sound teeth on either side of the empty gap.

—Mount Sinai Medical Center Family Guide to Dental Health

Examples of abutment in a Sentence

The car crashed into a bridge abutment.

Recent Examples on the Web

The bridge was printed in segments and assembled using standard abutments and tensioning cables with a design life comparable to traditional bridges. —Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 May 2026

The cars slid backward and would have dropped through the opening made by the raising to the abutment of the bridge if policemen had not attracted the attention of the bridge tender by firing their revolvers. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026

An autopsy report on the driver of a gasoline tanker truck that smashed into a light rail abutment along Yale Avenue in Denver on Thanksgiving shows the driver had alcohol and methamphetamine in his system. —Alan Gionet, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026

It will be put in place after new abutments are built, USFS officials say. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

abut + -ment

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

abutment

noun

abut·​ment ə-ˈbət-mənt 

1

: the place of abutting

2

: something against which another thing rests its weight or pushes with force

abutments that support a bridge

Medical Definition

abutment

noun

abut·​ment ə-ˈbət-mənt 

: a tooth or part of a dental implant to which a prosthetic appliance (such as a bridge or artificial crown) is attached for support

A dental bridge, like a highway bridge … is supported by abutments, sound teeth on either side of the empty gap.

—Mount Sinai Medical Center Family Guide to Dental Health

Once the healing period is over, the gum is cut open again and a little metal cylinder called an abutment is put in the implant. It takes another few days for the gum to heal before the crown is put on …

—Harvard Health Letter

Legal Definition

abutment

noun

abut·​ment ə-ˈbət-mənt 

: the place at which abutting occurs

at the abutment of two properties