abound
Americanverb (used without object)
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abounds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
abounded,
past participle, past
-
abounding
present participle
-
to occur or exist in great quantities or numbers.
a stream in which trout abound.
-
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
-
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
-
had aboundedperfect
-
was aboundingprogressive
-
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:
But as any parent with children applying to college can tell you, diversity prompts abound on essay questions, and land acknowledgments remain here and there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Platitudes abound: “Whatever happens, life is about learning”; “money doesn’t mean happiness”; “we are each unique members of a shared human family.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Stories abound of local townspeople seeing energy bills soar when they are asked to foot the bill for the infrastructure needed to power new data centres, or finding their already stretched water supplies further diminished.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Symbols of neglect and urban decay abound in artist Sayre Gomez’s “Precious Moments” at David Kordansky Gallery, on view through March 1.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Surely this religion had more than one story in its bag—religions abound with stories.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Optimism abounds, even on the city website, which promotes it as “one of the fastest growing suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
On YouTube, the very same platform hosting Duffy’s vapid post-vacation slideshow, content abounds showing soccer lovers’ appreciation for our fast-food joints, rowdy dance clubs and ranch dressing.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
The compound comes with a three-car garage, two ipe wood decks, several outdoor seating areas, and drought-resistant landscaping that abounds with leafy hedges and mature trees.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
And sheer uncertainty abounds over how to handle raw fruits and veggies while this parasite crawls about.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
The official ideology abounds with contradictions even where there is no practical reason for them.
From "1984" by George Orwell
After Kirk died, Amor said, she had questions as conspiracy theories abounded online.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
That was a different time, when optimism abounded at the beginning of the Stokes era.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
In a 2023 opinion article in local news outlet the Acorn titled “Keep the Snake closed, it’s quiet,” resident and avid cyclist Todd Bank described how peace and safety abounded in the absence of vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
Chris Anderson took over TED 25 years ago, when the internet was young and optimism abounded about the future it could deliver.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025
At least nobody noticed this time, because hoots and hollers abounded as dozens of people stormed the stage.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
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
All of these apartments were in neighborhoods that just happened to be highly family-friendly, with babies abounding.
From Slate ● Jan. 11, 2025
Write and define adjectives denoting abounding in, having the quality of, from the following nouns:—
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
