Dictionary

abound en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /əˈbaʊnd/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /əˈbaʊnd/ (US)

Etymology

* First attested around 1325. * From Middle English abounden, abounde, from Old French abonder, abunder, from Latin abundāre (“overflow”), which comes from ab (“from, down from”) + undō (“surge, swell, rise in waves, move in waves”), from unda (“wave”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To be full to overflowing; to bristle.
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To be wealthy.
3. (intransitive) To be highly productive.
4. (intransitive) To be present or available in large numbers or quantities; to be plentiful.
   • Evidence for cannibalism abounds - even if circumstantial - both from the modern world and throughout history, but academic anthropology has found itself in a funk of denial. 2000 September 7, Henry Gee, “Eating people - is it bad taste?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 09 May 2014:
   • Wild animals abound wherever man does not stake his claim.
   • Moreouer, the Lawe entred, that the offence might abound: but where sinne abounded, grace did much more abound. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Romans 5:20:
   • One end of the east-west building is wet, the other windy, and at present there is smoke abounding, too; but these distressing yard elements can be completely excluded at each end by full-width folding doors [...]. 1960 December, “New G.E. Line diesel loco maintenance depot at Stratford”, in Trains Illustrated, page 766:
5. (intransitive) To revel in.
6. To be copiously supplied.
   • I could plainly diſcover from whence one Family derives a long Chin; why a ſecond hath abounded with Knaves for two Generations, and Fools for two more; why a third happened to be crack-brained, and a fourth to be Sharpers. 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Further Account of Glubbdubdrib. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan), page 108:
   • 1858-1860, George Rawlinson, The Five Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World the wild boar, which abounds both in Azerbijan and in the country about Hamadan
   • The wilderness abounds in traps.
   • This pond abounds with fish.

Forms

Deriveds

abounder · overabound · aboundingly · superabound

Relateds

bountiful · abundant · abundance

Translations (86)

hu bővelkedik (to be copiously supplied with) · fi olla tulvillaan (to be plentiful) · it abbondare (to be plentiful) · sv finnas i överflöd (to be plentiful) · th อุดมไปด้วย (to be plentiful) · fr abonder en (to be copiously supplied with) · pt abundar (to be copiously supplied with) · nl zeer productief zijn (to be full to overflowing) · pt abundar (to be plentiful) · gl rebordar (to be copiously supplied with) · gl abondar (to be copiously supplied with) · de im Überfluss vorhanden sein (to be plentiful) · cho la̱wa (to be plentiful) · it essere abbondante (to be copiously supplied with) · de übererfüllen (to be highly productive) · es ser abundante (to be copiously supplied with) · eo abundi (to be plentiful) · sh obilovati (to be full to overflowing) · arz كتر (to be plentiful) · arz اتوفر (to be plentiful) · eo sufiĉegi (to be plentiful) · gl rebordar (to be plentiful) · gl sobexar (to be copiously supplied with) · it essere abbondante (to be plentiful) · sv finnas i riklig mängd (to be plentiful) · sh obilovati (to be plentiful) · no ha flust av (to be plentiful) · gl amorrar (to be plentiful) · cmn 盛產 /盛产 (to be plentiful) · es abundar (to be copiously supplied with) · qu achkachay (to be plentiful) · ja たくさんある (to be plentiful) · grc βρύω (to be plentiful) · cho lawa (to be plentiful) · nl wemelen (to be plentiful) · nl wemelen van (to be copiously supplied with) · fi olla pullollaan (to be copiously supplied with) · es rebosar (to be full to overflowing) · fi olla täynnä (to be copiously supplied with) · cmn 富有 (to be plentiful) · la exubero (to be plentiful) · ar كَثُر (to be plentiful) · fr foisonner (to be plentiful) · mi whakamakuru (to be plentiful) · ru кише́ть (to be plentiful) · cs překypovat (to be full to overflowing) · cmn 富於 /富于 (to be plentiful) · ro abunda (to be plentiful) · gl abouxar (to be copiously supplied with) · es abundar (to be plentiful) · fi olla runsaasti (to be copiously supplied with) · de überbordend produktiv (to be highly productive) · nl in grote aantallen voorkomen (to be plentiful) · arn ünüfn (to be plentiful) · de überquellen (to be full to overflowing) · es rebosante (to be full to overflowing) · cmn 充滿 /充满 (to be copiously supplied with) · nl overvloedig voortbrengen (to be full to overflowing) · gl abondar (to be plentiful) · pt ser abundante (to be copiously supplied with) · fr fourmiller de (to be copiously supplied with) · grc βρύω (to be full to overflowing) · de wimmeln an (to be copiously supplied with) · ar تَوَفَر (to be plentiful) · ja たくさん (to be copiously supplied with) · de wimmeln (to be plentiful) · cs být plný (to be full to overflowing) · gl amorrar (to be copiously supplied with) · got 𐌲𐌰𐌰𐌿𐌺𐌰𐌽 (to be full to overflowing) · fi olla runsaasti (to be plentiful) · es ser abundante (to be plentiful) · nl krioelen van (to be copiously supplied with) · cs hojně se vyskytovat (to be plentiful) · bg изобилствам (to be plentiful) · gl abouxar (to be plentiful) · it abbondare (to be copiously supplied with) · de wimmeln von (to be copiously supplied with) · ru изоби́ловать (to be plentiful) · th เต็มไปด้วย (to be plentiful) · nl overvloedig aanwezig zijn (to be plentiful) · gl sobexar (to be plentiful) · fi olla tulvillaan (to be copiously supplied with) · cs překypovat (to be copiously supplied with) · no bogna (to be plentiful) · cs oplývat (to be copiously supplied with) · pt ser abundante (to be plentiful)