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
Hipsters and college students abound in this Northeast L.A. treasure nestled between Glendale and Pasadena.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Other examples abound of large performance fees exceeding cash realizations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Billboards abound, there are signs outside bars and stores are churning out tournament-themed merchandise.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
“No. It is merely a shrine meant to honor her. Similar shrines abound on my property, and all can be dangerous.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
It especially abounds in strikingly varied and ingenious pieces of furniture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
While scepticism abounds among this generation of students, some believe AI may be able to solve some of the very problems it's exacerbating.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Speculation about the president’s health, and how he is aging, abounds.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
Luxury abounds from the moment you set foot on the grounds of the dwelling, which features enormous walls of glass mixed with brick accents on its exterior.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 16, 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
Before the offering, predictions abounded that SpaceX would be too big for the stock market to handle.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Kavanagh had never set foot in the state and part of his steep California learning curve was devouring as many newspapers — back when they abounded — as he could.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2026
While Friday’s moves were muted, new highs have abounded.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025
Other bushes were laden with purpling currants; butterflies abounded; and at every step grasshoppers whirred off, some crackling like the snappers kids placed against their bicycle tire spokes.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
