abound
Americanverb (used without object)
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to occur or exist in great quantities or numbers.
a stream in which trout abound.
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to be rich or well supplied (usually followed byin ).
The region abounds in coal.
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to be filled; teem (usually followed bywith ).
The ship abounds with rats.
verb
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to exist or occur in abundance; be plentiful
a swamp in which snakes abound
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to be plentifully supplied (with); teem (with)
the gardens abound with flowers
the fields abound in corn
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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aboundsimple
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aboundssimple
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have aboundedperfect
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has aboundedperfect
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am aboundingprogressive
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are aboundingprogressive
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is aboundingprogressive
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have been aboundingperfect progressive
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has been aboundingperfect progressive
Past
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aboundedsimple
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had aboundedperfect
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was aboundingprogressive
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were aboundingprogressive
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had been aboundingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abound
1325–75; Middle English abounden < Latin abundāre to overflow, equivalent to ab- ab- + undāre to move in waves; see undulate
Explanation
When things abound, there are a lot of them. In spring, birds, flowers, rain, and frisbees abound. This word has to do with an abundance of something. In cities like Buffalo, NY, snow abounds. In very hot weather, insects and suntan lotion abound. Dogs are happy at the park when squirrels abound — meaning there are a lot of squirrels. On the moon, rocks abound, but that's about it.
Vocabulary lists containing abound
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The disaster has claimed over 4,000 lives and injured almost 17,000 more people, and questions about the economic impact abound.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
New reads abound for your vacation tote throughout the weeks of July, with fiction picks featuring a Carnival cruise casualty, a highly entertaining jewel heist at the Waldorf-Astoria, and a Soviet-era madcap adventure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Swimming pools, well-manicured lawns, carefully appointed midcentury interiors, glimmering light and stylish people abound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Billboards abound, there are signs outside bars and stores are churning out tournament-themed merchandise.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
Inside the church, pink and white flowers and balloons abound.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
And sheer uncertainty abounds over how to handle raw fruits and veggies while this parasite crawls about.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Outside, luxury abounds across the elegantly manicured lawns, while a built-in barbecue area and private covered patios provide the perfect place for an outdoor meal.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Shoma collects what she considers “incontrovertible proof” of the transmigration of souls, and the writing abounds in jargon from her research into parapsychology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
While Dubai's glossy image abounds online, many of the migrant workers who help power the economy here earn modest wages and live in shared accommodation on the outskirts of the city.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
The official ideology abounds with contradictions even where there is no practical reason for them.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Bright spirits have abounded on so far on Saturday, although the festival was noticeably quieter in the afternoon than in previous years.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
“I operated five venues in the pandemic, and conversations abounded like ‘Is this the death of live experiences?’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
Chris Anderson took over TED 25 years ago, when the internet was young and optimism abounded about the future it could deliver.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025
William H. Herndon, Lincoln’s future law partner and biographer, said “it was highly sophomoric in character and abounded in striking and lofty metaphor . . . the thing people expect from a young man.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2025
And perhaps most unusual in the context of Hampden—where pseudo-intellects and teenage decadents abounded, and where black clothing was de rigueur—they liked to wear pale clothes, particularly white.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Despite theories abounding as to how he got there, police say there is no evidence at this point to suggest a crime has been committed.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026
To solve these labor shortages, countries should utilize workers from around the world, with talent abounding in developing regions like Africa and South East Asia, she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Psalm 103: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2025
The previous ranking member, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, was deemed to have blown the Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court confirmation hearings the previous fall, while questions about the now-89-year-old’s age were already abounding.
From Slate ● May 10, 2023
Write and define adjectives denoting abounding in, having the quality of, from the following nouns:—
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
