abound

[uh-bound]

verb (used without object)

1. to occur or exist in great quantities or numbers.

   a stream in which trout abound.

2. to be rich or well supplied (usually followed byin ).

   The region abounds in coal.

3. to be filled; teem (usually followed bywith ).

   The ship abounds with rats.

abound

/ əˈbaʊnd /

verb

1. to exist or occur in abundance; be plentiful

   a swamp in which snakes abound

2. to be plentifully supplied (with); teem (with)

   the gardens abound with flowers

   the fields abound in corn

Other Word Forms

• aboundingly adverb
• overabound verb (used without object)
• well-abounding adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of abound¹

1325–75; Middle English abounden < Latin abundāre to overflow, equivalent to ab- ab- + undāre to move in waves; undulate

Word History and Origins

Origin of abound¹

C14: via Old French from Latin abundāre to overflow, from undāre to flow, from unda wave

Example Sentences

Secrets abound among the characters whose brief encounter at a New York emergency room sets action across decades in motion: Ivan and Eddie, as well as Cara and Nina, are only tangentially connected.

From Los Angeles Times

Examples of backlash abound, from California to New York and even in red states like Florida and Wyoming.

From Salon

“Lurker’s” mean-boys drama mostly takes place in Los Angeles, where individuals seeking a career in entertainment by any means necessary abound.

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, popular and scholarly treatments of white Southerners as overwhelmingly conservative and racially regressive abound.

From Salon

Questions abound, particularly on a defense that loses every key playmaker, as the Bruins prepare to open training camp in Costa Mesa on Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• flourish 
• proliferate 
• thrive