abroad
Americanadverb
-
in or to a foreign country or countries.
famous at home and abroad.
- Synonyms:
- overseas
- Antonyms:
- at-home
-
in or to another continent.
Shall we go to Mexico or abroad this summer?
-
out of doors; from one place to another; about.
No one was abroad in the noonday heat. The owl ventures abroad at night.
-
spread around; in circulation.
Rumors of disaster are abroad.
- Synonyms:
- rife, everywhere
-
broadly; widely; far and wide.
-
wide of the mark; in error.
noun
adverb
adjective
-
(of news, rumours, etc) in general circulation; current
-
out in the open
-
over a wide area
-
archaic in error
Etymology
Origin of abroad
First recorded in 1225–75, abroad is from the Middle English word abrod. See a- 1, broad
Explanation
If you study abroad in your junior year of college, you are going to school in another country. Use abroad when you are talking about going to or from a place across an ocean. Abroad really just means in a different country, but it is almost always used interchangeably with "overseas." You almost never hear an American say, "She lives abroad; she's studying in Canada." You might be eager to take a trip abroad. If so, get your passport ready. They won't let you board a plane going abroad without one.
Vocabulary lists containing abroad
Beowulf vocabulary
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Remote Learning: Synonyms for "Far"
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Franklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941)
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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.
Tiedemann’s reach became apparent to her employer when Bandier’s son, who was living abroad at the time, texted his parents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
But not to Cubans, at home and abroad, who have long believed that freedom on the island is possible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Last month, Canada's central bank said the economy was "showing signs of improving," noting that some businesses were adjusting to US protectionism, including by finding new customers abroad.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Americans going abroad also might notice their money does not go as far, while foreign tourists in the US might find their currency will buy them more.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
As the memory of past misfortunes pressed upon me, I began to reflect on their cause—the monster whom I had created, the miserable dæmon whom I had sent abroad into the world for my destruction.
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
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.
