abound

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈbaʊnd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈbaʊnd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊnd

Verb

abound (third-person singular simple present abounds, present participle abounding, simple past and past participle abounded)

1. (intransitive) To be full to overflowing.
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.

   Wild animals abound wherever man does not stake his claim.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Romans 5:20:

     Moreouer, the Lawe entred, that the offence might abound: but where sinne abounded, grace did much more abound.

   • 1960 December, “New G.E. Line diesel loco maintenance depot at Stratford”, in Trains Illustrated, page 766:

     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 [...].

5. (intransitive) To revel in.
7. (transitive with in or with) To be copiously supplied with.

   The wilderness abounds in traps.

   This pond abounds with fish.

   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “A Further Account of Glubbdubdrib. ”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. , volume II, London: Benj Motte, , →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan), page 108:

     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.

   • 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

Usage notes

• This is generally a stative verb that rarely takes the continuous inflection. See Category:English stative verbs

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

• bountiful

References