abroad

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈbrȯd 

1

: beyond the boundaries of one's country : in or to a foreign country

traveling abroad

hopes to study abroad next year

both at home and abroad

a family that came here from abroad [=from a foreign country] several years ago

2

: over a wide area : widely

wolves venturing abroad in increasing numbers

3

old-fashioned : away from one's home

doesn't go walking abroad at night

4

formal : in wide circulation : about

There are rumors abroad that the company is in trouble.

5

: wide of the mark : astray

Examples of abroad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The chaos has caught the attention of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) as well, which issued a call for jihadis to join the fight from abroad in a recent issue of its newsletter. —Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025

States such as California, Colorado, Georgia, and South Dakota have also established clear, uniform rules, ensuring that military members and their families can exercise their freedom to vote, even if they were born abroad. —Ellen Gustafson, Time, 26 Nov. 2025

For that to convert into a competitive advantage, European companies need to adopt AI more quickly and deeply than their rivals abroad. —Dave McCann, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2025

About 6 million fled abroad as refugees. —Emily Feng, NPR, 25 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abrod, abrood, from a- a- entry 1 + brod, brood broad entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for abroad

• applaud
• backboard
• ballade
• defraud
• ephod
• facade
• guffawed
• outlawed
• ramrod
• roughshod
• slipshod
• tripod

Kids Definition

abroad

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈbrȯd 

1

: over a wide area

2

: away from one's home

doesn't go abroad at night

3

: in or to foreign countries

travel abroad

4

formal : in wide circulation

rumors were abroad