Ab

[ ahb, ahv ]

/ ɑb, ɑv /

Save This Word!

noun

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Other definitions for Ab (2 of 8)

Ab²

Symbol.

Chemistry. alabamine.

Immunology. antibody.

Other definitions for Ab (3 of 8)

AB¹

abbreviation

Nautical. able seaman.

airborne.

U.S. Air Force. Airman Basic.

Alberta, Canada (approved for postal use).

antiballistic; antiballistic missile.

Other definitions for Ab (4 of 8)

AB²

Symbol, Physiology.

a major blood group usually enabling a person whose blood is of this type to donate blood to persons of type AB and to receive blood from persons of type O, A, B, or AB.

Compare ABO system.

Other definitions for Ab (5 of 8)

ab-

a formal element occurring in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “away from”: abdicate; abolition.

Also a-, abs- .

Origin of ab-

<Latin ab (preposition and prefix) from, away, cognate with Greek apó,Sanskrit ápa,German ab, English of¹, off

Other definitions for Ab (6 of 8)

ab.

abbreviation

about.

Baseball. (times) at bat.

Other definitions for Ab (7 of 8)

A.B.¹

abbreviation

Bachelor of Arts.

Origin of A.B.

<New Latin, Medieval Latin Artium Baccalaureus

Other definitions for Ab (8 of 8)

A.B.²

abbreviation

Nautical. able seaman.

Baseball. (times) at bat.Also a.b.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Ab in a sentence

ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In another year, stories about the strange new face of an A-list actress might draw chortles and cackles.
Renée Zellweger Got a New Face—and Everyone Had An Opinion About It|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Because Duck Dynasty receives monster TV ratings and Robertson paid by a company (A&E) while making these public statements.
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Frequently they are found in alveolar arrangement, retaining the original outline of the alveoli of the lung (Fig. 4, b).
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
A was an Archer, who shot at a frog; B was a Butcher, and had a great dog.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

British Dictionary definitions for Ab (1 of 4)

/ (æb) /

noun

a variant of Av

British Dictionary definitions for Ab (2 of 4)

abbreviation for

Also: a.b. able-bodied seaman

(in the US) Bachelor of Arts

(esp in postal addresses) Alberta (Canada)

symbol for

a human blood type of the ABO group, containing both the A antigen and the B antigen

British Dictionary definitions for Ab (3 of 4)

ab-¹

prefix

away from; off; outside of; opposite toabnormal; abaxial; aboral

Word Origin for ab-

from Latin ab away from

British Dictionary definitions for Ab (4 of 4)

ab-²

prefix

denoting a cgs unit of measurement in the electromagnetic systemabvolt

Word Origin for ab-

abstracted from absolute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for Ab (1 of 3)

ab- 2²

pref.

Used to indicate an electromagnetic unit in the centimeter-gram-second system:abcoulomb.

Medical definitions for Ab (2 of 3)

ab- 1¹

pref.

Away from:abaxial.

Medical definitions for Ab (3 of 3)

abbr.

antibody