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 An abbey can be a monastery or convent, which is either composed of monks or nuns who have withdrawn from society to live a life of poverty and chastity.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.
According to tradition, Caedmon worked as a laborer at Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
“This was a lot of memories of Liverpool for me,” he remarked in a recent Abbey Road Studios listening session, “but also any days we’ve left behind. Everyone’s got them — school, old mates.”
From Salon • May 12, 2026
"Tourists come to England and they can go to Abbey Road, but they can't go inside... so I thought this was a terrific idea," McCartney told the BBC.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
The royal couple married at Westminster Abbey in London in 2011, in a televised ceremony that drew an estimated audience of billions from across the world.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
And now, something was going wrong with the computer weather models she was using for Kinloch Abbey.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
