abode
1 Americannoun
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a place in which a person resides; residence; dwelling; habitation; home.
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an extended stay in a place; sojourn.
verb
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of abode
1200–50; Middle English abood a waiting, delay, stay; akin to abide
Explanation
Your abode is where you live. The Queen of England's abode may be far from humble, but it's the home where she rests her weary crown at the end of each day. Though it is often humble, as in, "Welcome to our humble abode," an abode is just a formal way of describing your home. A British solicitor (lawyer) would also use the word abode to describe his office, and if he worked from his home the word would cover both his work and his residence. Interestingly, if you were to substitute the o in the middle of the word for a c, you'd have the first five letters of the alphabet — abcde.
Vocabulary lists containing abode
There's No Word Like Home
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Refugee
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This Week in Words: August 6 - 10, 2018
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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.
“Family Feud” host Steve Harvey has cut the price of his longtime Georgia home—just four months after listing the enormous abode for $5.1 million.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Gomez and Blanco splashed out on an enormous $35 million marital abode in Beverly Hills in December 2024—the very same week they got engaged.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
In the filing, First Foundation sought to force the sale of the lavish abode to recoup some of the money that its lawyers say the actor has failed to repay.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
The couple initially moved into a sprawling abode in Austin, Texas, which, according to property records, was transferred to Duff by her parents in 2021.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
Ishtar's abode made the White House look like a tin shack.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
