abroad
Americanadverb
-
in or to a foreign country or countries.
famous at home and abroad.
- Synonyms:
- overseas
- Antonyms:
- at-home
-
in or to another continent.
Shall we go to Mexico or abroad this summer?
-
out of doors; from one place to another; about.
No one was abroad in the noonday heat. The owl ventures abroad at night.
-
spread around; in circulation.
Rumors of disaster are abroad.
- Synonyms:
- rife, everywhere
-
broadly; widely; far and wide.
-
wide of the mark; in error.
noun
adverb
adjective
-
(of news, rumours, etc) in general circulation; current
-
out in the open
-
over a wide area
-
archaic in error
Etymology
Origin of abroad
First recorded in 1225–75, abroad is from the Middle English word abrod. See a- 1, broad
Explanation
If you study abroad in your junior year of college, you are going to school in another country. Use abroad when you are talking about going to or from a place across an ocean. Abroad really just means in a different country, but it is almost always used interchangeably with "overseas." You almost never hear an American say, "She lives abroad; she's studying in Canada." You might be eager to take a trip abroad. If so, get your passport ready. They won't let you board a plane going abroad without one.
Vocabulary lists containing abroad
Beowulf vocabulary
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Remote Learning: Synonyms for "Far"
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Franklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Merz also took aim at China for allegedly under-valuing its currency, the yuan, making the country's exports cheaper abroad.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Freddy’s chief development officer, Andrew Thengvall, said the company was looking for new franchisees in the U.S. and abroad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Journalist Rory Smith suggested some players based abroad may benefit from avoiding the Premier League's weekly "grind" - though argued that Europe's elite clubs increasingly view it as the "gold standard".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Together he and Clinton cofounded and cochaired the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, traveled abroad together on congressional delegations, and partnered on climate policy and healthcare initiatives.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
Anyone who might wish to invade that dominion from abroad would be more hesitant; so that living right there, it is only with the greatest difficulty that the prince can lose it.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.