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

Whether the ownership groups are as incredible as Freier says or not, what continues to hamper rugby is the game’s disparate nature in the U.S. and abroad. —Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Increasingly, young people in the United States and abroad are being recruited by extremist groups that conflate white supremacist ideology and violent action in order to hasten the collapse of society. —Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025

The island blends natural wonder with a growing macroeconomic framework that’s attracting attention from abroad. —Panorama Media Ltd, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2025

Successive administrations let the old broadcast arms of American government abroad — Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia — slide into well-meaning obsolescence. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 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