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

The coffeehouse abuts The Hudson Gardens & Event Center, a free botanical garden with plenty of additional flora to ogle. —Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 22 July 2025

New stations reopened Sunday with the monikers and (locations of) Lawrence, Berwyn, Argyle and Bryn Mawr, all abutting North Broadway, a street about which there currently is much dissent. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 July 2025

Courses are all across Massachusetts along with a handful in abutting states participate. —Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 17 July 2025

The fire’s north edge abuts the footprint of last November’s Shoe Fire, which burned 5,100 acres. —Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 16 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