Meaning & use
abound
Last updated
Meaning
verbintransitive
To exist in large numbers or be very plentiful, often in a place or situation.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by in or with to name what is plentiful: the woods abound with birds.
Patterns
- abound in something
- abound with something
- abound everywhere
Wild rabbits abound in the hills around the farm.
The market abounds with fresh fruit in the summer.
Stories about lost treasure abound in this little coastal town.
Word forms
| third person singular | abounds |
|---|---|
| past tense | abounded |
| past participle | abounded |
| -ing form | abounding |
Common combinations
- abound with something
- The old house abounds with strange stories.
- abound in something
- The region abounds in natural beauty.
- rumours abound
- Rumours abound whenever the company stays silent.
- examples abound
- Examples of kindness abound in everyday life.
Synonyms and how they differ
- teem
- Teem suggests very active, moving abundance, often with small creatures or people; abound is more general.
- swarm
- Swarm implies crowded movement and is usually literal with insects or people; abound is calmer and broader.
- be plentiful
- A plainer phrase; abound sounds slightly more formal or literary.
Opposites
Word family
- abundance noun
- a very large amount of something.
- abundant adjective
- existing in large amounts; plentiful.
- abundantly adverb
- in large amounts; also used to mean very clearly.
Commonly confused: abound or abundant?
abound vs abundant
Abundant is the adjective meaning plentiful; abound is the verb meaning to be plentiful.
Practice
Choose the natural sentence.
Choose one answer.
Abound is intransitive, so it cannot take a direct object; it is followed by with or in, as in abounds with fish. Option 1 wrongly treats it as transitive, and at/on do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “abound”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.