a monastery under the supervision of an abbot or a convent under the supervision of an abbess.
the group of buildings comprising such a monastery or convent.
the church of an abbey.
Edward, 1927–89, U.S. novelist and nature writer.
Edwin Austin, 1852–1911, U.S. painter and illustrator.
a first name, form of Abigail.
a building inhabited by a community of monks or nuns governed by an abbot or abbess
a church built in conjunction with such a building
such a community of monks or nuns
1200–50; Middle English abbey ( e ) < Old French abeie < Late Latin abbātia abbacy
An abbey is a church that's part of a monastery or convent. You'll often find monks or nuns in an abbey. There are a few types of abbeys, but they're all related to intense religious dedication. An abbey can be a monastery or convent, which is either composed of monks or nuns who have withdrawn from society to live a life of poverty and chastity. You can also call a church associated with a monastery or convent an abbey. That type of abbey will be run by the monks or nuns but also open to other churchgoers.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Before the Sagrada Familia mass on Wednesday, he is due to visit a prison and an abbey in the Montserrat mountain range overlooking Barcelona.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
To reach the abbey, visitors must climb the town’s famous 199 steps that rise along the cliff.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
Chinese brides lining up to marry in Yorkshire abbey.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026
First seen in its full glory at the nearby abbey of St. Denis, Gothic architecture served an age without electricity—one that learned to reduce its walls to their physical minimum in order to welcome sunlight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
By night of that day they reached an abbey set in a hollow.
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
That same year he began a romance with Princess Margaret, and two years later, Armstrong-Jones and the princess married at Westminster Abbey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Muckamore Abbey Hospital was meant to be a home, a place of safety for people with severe learning disabilities and mental health needs in Northern Ireland.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Segun was last seen wearing a black jacket, black trousers and black trainers, and is believed to have links to Plumstead, Abbey Wood and Woolwich.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Now a botanist and apothecary, Cadfael aids the local sheriff in solving all manner of crimes committed in and near Shrewsbury Abbey during England’s 15-year civil war known now as the Anarchy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Shadow had succeeded in climbing the Abbey wall.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
While walking the Becket Way, her group will join prayer services at churches, cathedrals and abbeys, as well as meeting with other pilgrims and visiting schools.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
If you’re new to her work, here is where to start with Groff’s sprawling canon, which spans from steamy Florida swamps to medieval abbeys with a gift for the unexpected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
Abbey beers, which involve a brewer paying royalties in exchange for using the abbey name, are common in Belgium, but until now they have only been with abbeys housing monks.
From Reuters ● Dec. 10, 2021
Many of these abbeys outlived the age that created them, and their garden forms were borrowed in the more secular landscapes that followed.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 9, 2020
Alongside death and despair, this was also the period of astounding Gothic architecture, with the most extraordinary cathedrals, abbeys and churches being built all over Europe.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
