abut

verb

ə-ˈbət 

abutted; abutting

transitive verb

1

: to border on : to touch along an edge

Their property abuts our land.

2

: to cause to touch or lean for support

abut a timber against a post

intransitive verb

1

: to touch along a border or with a projecting part

a parcel of land that abuts on the road

2

a

: to terminate at a point of contact

b

: to lean for support

Synonyms

• adjoin
• border (on)
• butt (on or against)
• flank
• fringe
• join
• march (with)
• neighbor
• skirt
• touch
• verge (on)

Examples of abut in a Sentence

Their property and our property abut.

our land abuts a nature preserve, so we see a lot of wildlife

Recent Examples on the Web

Adding to the concern is the eastern side of the building, which abuts the nearby Amtrak line. —Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2025

Preserving these Charlotte church cemeteries protects Black history too July 15, 2024 6:00 AM Dorothy Green’s backyard of nearly 50 years abuts the cemetery. —Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 8 May 2025

Here, Chris and Min live in the converted garage abutting the home of Chris’s best friend Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone), a lesbian couple caught up in a slew of expensive IVF treatments, the latest of which has failed. —Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 18 Apr. 2025

In the meantime, residents are coming forward with claims about the city’s lack of maintenance of the area, which abuts Lake June/Prairie Creek. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abutten, borrowed from Anglo-French abuter, from a-, verb-forming prefix (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + bout, but "push, thrust, blow, end, extremity," noun derivative from bouter, boter "to push, thrust, strike" — more at butt entry 3

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for abut

• catgut
• chesnut
• chestnut
• donut
• doughnut
• groundnut
• haircut
• hindgut
• midgut
• precut
• rebut
• recut

Kids Definition

abut

verb

ə-ˈbət 

abutted; abutting

: to touch along a border or with a part that sticks out

abutter noun

Legal Definition

abut

verb

ə-ˈbət 

abutted; abutting

intransitive verb

: to touch along a border or with a projecting part

—used with on, upon, or against

the land abuts on the road

transitive verb

: to border on : reach or touch with an end

two lots that abut each other