What does "abutment" mean?

The point of junction between two things, in particular a support, that abuts.

What is a synonym for "abutment"?

Common synonyms include: bank, beam, breakwater, bulwark, buttress, conjugation.

//əˈbʌt.mn̩t// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The point of junction between two things, in particular a support, that abuts. countable, uncountable
2
a masonry support that touches and directly receives thrust or pressure of an arch or bridge wordnet
3
The solid portion of a structure that supports the lateral pressure of an arch or vault. countable, uncountable
4
point of contact between two objects or parts wordnet
5
A construction that supports the ends of a bridge; a structure that anchors the cables on a suspension bridge. countable, uncountable
"Each of the bridges consists of six separate girder spans on brick abutments."

Show 6 more definitions

6
The part of a valley or canyon wall against which a dam is constructed. countable, uncountable
"Heavy rains have caused the dam's abutments to seep, raising concern over possible dam failure."
7
Something that abuts, or on which something abuts. countable, uncountable
8
The state of abutting. countable, uncountable
9
That element that shares a common boundary or surface with its neighbor. countable, uncountable
10
The tooth that supports a denture or bridge. countable, uncountable
11
A fixed point or surface where resistance is obtained. countable, uncountable
"The fulcrum acted as an abutment."

"Each of the bridges consists of six separate girder spans on brick abutments."

First attested in 1644; engineering sense first attested in 1793. From Old French aboutement. Equivalent to abut + -ment.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.