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abut

verb
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\ ə-ˈbət How to pronounce abut (audio) \
abutted; abutting

Definition of abut

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
2a : to terminate at a point of contact
b : to lean for support
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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 Atascocita Park will be located south of Will Clayton Parkway and will abut West Lake Houston Parkway to the east, across the street from Atascocita High School. — Savannah Mehrtens, Houston Chronicle, "Atascocita Park, Humble ISD bond updates, ways to give back discussed at BizCom," 8 Nov. 2019 The salt-tolerant grass abuts the church his family used to attend. — Tik Root, Time, "Ghost Forests Are Visceral Examples of the Advance of Climate Change," 7 Oct. 2019 Nearby, the Encino Park neighborhood abuts a new, planned development community, Sienna, where nearly 500 homes are in the process of being built off of Redland Road. — Diego Mendoza-moyers, ExpressNews.com, "Construction industry group, residents support noise-curbing proposal," 21 Sep. 2019 That chilling premise casually abuts the gorgeous scenery and gleeful youthfulness of Monos’ ensemble. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Monos Is a Creepy and Dreamy Spin on Lord of the Flies," 19 Sep. 2019 Most of the groves are on federal or state land, including Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, the Sequoia National Forest and the Giant Sequoia National Monument — which abuts the grove. — Los Angeles Times, "Conservation group to buy Alder Creek giant sequoia grove and world’s fifth-largest tree," 17 Sep. 2019 Crusius, 21, drove about 11 hours from his home in Allen, Texas, to the Walmart in El Paso, in far western Texas abutting the Mexican border. — Ed Lavandera, CNN, "El Paso shooting: Suspect claims distance from hometown helped him choose target, sources say," 9 Aug. 2019 On this morning, his sleeping bag and backpack abut the entrance to the MBTA Red and Silver lines on Atlantic Avenue. — Deanna Pan, BostonGlobe.com, "A day at South Station: A gateway to Boston, an intersection of many different lives," 17 Aug. 2019 The toll lanes proposal, particularly for the Beltway where neighborhoods abut the highway’s sound walls, has drawn low support in Prince George’s. — Washington Post, "Rep. Anthony G. Brown tries to block federal approval of Hogan toll lanes study," 18 June 2019

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

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First Known Use of abut

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

History and Etymology for abut

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

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Statistics for abut

Last Updated

15 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for abut

The first known use of abut was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for abut

abut

verb
\ ə-ˈbət How to pronounce abut (audio) \
abutted; abutting

Kids Definition of abut

: to touch along an edge Their yard abuts a park.

abut

verb
\ ə-ˈbət How to pronounce abut (audio) \
abutted; abutting

Legal Definition of abut

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on abut

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for abut

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with abut

Spanish Central: Translation of abut

Nglish: Translation of abut for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of abut for Arabic Speakers

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