What does "abode" mean?
Act of waiting; delay.
Abode
/əˈbəʊd/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Act of waiting; delay.
- Grammar: abode is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: dwelling, habitation, home, residence.
- Useful contrasts: depart, evacuate, give up.
- Usage evidence: What do you think of our new abode?
How to use "abode"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "abode" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "abode" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "abode" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "abode" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "abode" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dwelling" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "abode", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Act of waiting; delay. obsolete
"Vpon his Courser set the louely lode, / And with her fled away without abode."
- 2 An omen; a foretelling. obsolete
"High-thundering Juno's husband, stirs my spirit with true abodes."
- 3 housing that someone is living in wordnet
- 4 Stay or continuance in a place; sojourn. dated
"During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant[…]"
- 5 any address at which you dwell more than temporarily wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A residence, dwelling or habitation. formal
"of no fixed abode"
Verb
- 1 simple past and past participle of abide form-of, participle, past
"The fine, soundless pulse of this game was in the air for our young woman while they remained in the shop. While they remained? They remained all day; their presence continued and abode with her, was in everything she did till nightfall...."
- 2 To bode; to foreshow; to presage. obsolete, transitive
"The night-crow cried, aboding luckless time"
- 3 To be ominous. intransitive, obsolete
Antonyms
Example
"What do you think of our new abode?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "abode"?
Common synonyms include: dwelling, habitation, home, residence, domicile, abiding.
How do you use "abode" in a sentence?
What do you think of our new abode?
How do you pronounce "abode"?
Pronounced /əˈbəʊd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English abod, abad, from Old English *ābād, related to ābīdan (“to abide”); see abide. Cognate with Scots abade, abaid (“abode”). For the change of nouns, compare abode, preterite of abide.
Etymology 2
From an alteration (with bode) of Middle English abeden (“to announce”), from Old English ābēodan (“to command, proclaim”), from a- + bēodan (“to command, proclaim”). Superficial analysis is a- + bode (“presage, portend, announce”).