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

What news from abroad means for America: Sign up for USA TODAY's Russia-Ukraine Crisis newsletter. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025

If the shopper lives abroad, DigiKey is off the tariff hook altogether. —Alina Selyukh, NPR, 24 Apr. 2025

Getty Images Lower-income households are cutting their travel spending the most, while wealthier travelers may be choosing to spend more money abroad, the report states. —Bella Stoddart,monica Pitrelli, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2025

In short, the US was preparing for a world with a rising demand for ever scarcer, more expensive fossil fuels, most of which would have to come from abroad. —Umair Irfan, Vox, 23 Apr. 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