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
• join
• touch
• flank
• surround
• neighbor

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

In our experience, the issue is worse on the southern stretch of the drive, perhaps because it is more lightly traveled than North DuSable Lake Shore Drive, which abuts more densely populated neighborhoods. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025

Greenwich, a 63,000-population town abutting New York State’s Westchester County, was home to 10 of Connecticut’s 14 billionaires as of 2023. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2025

Thoughtful details abound—there was an intricate wood inlay on the stairs leading to our second-floor suite and two-story matching rock fireplaces abutting the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook Dove and Tar Kiln mountains. —Kinsey Giddick, Travel + Leisure, 3 Aug. 2025

Adding to its sense of privacy and connection to nature, the estate abuts a 155-acre nature preserve. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 21 July 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