Definition

1. Adverb:

   • In or to a foreign country: Refers to being located in or traveling to a country that is not one's own.
   • Over a wide area; widely; in circulation: Refers to something being spread or known in many places.
   • Out of doors; outside: An older or less common usage meaning outdoors.

2. Adjective (Postpositive):

   • Being in a foreign country: Used after verbs like 'be' to describe the state of being overseas. This use is less common than the adverbial form.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:

  • She has lived abroad for ten years. (She has lived in foreign countries for ten years.)
  • The company exports its products abroad. (The company sends its products to foreign countries.)
  • Rumors are abroad about the merger. (Rumors about the merger are circulating widely.)

• Adjective (Postpositive):

  • He was the only person I knew abroad. (He was the only person I knew who was in a foreign country.)

Advanced Usage

• "From abroad": Coming from a foreign country.

  • We received a shipment of goods from abroad. (We received a shipment of goods originating in a foreign country.)

• "At home and abroad": A common phrase meaning both domestically and internationally.

  • The policy has supporters both at home and abroad. (The policy has supporters both in the home country and in foreign countries.)

Variants and Related Words

• Overseas (adv/adj): Very similar in meaning to 'abroad', often used interchangeably. It can more specifically imply crossing a sea.
  • He works for an overseas branch of the bank.

Synonyms

• Overseas: In, to, or from a country across the sea.
• Internationally: Involving or operating between different nations.
• In foreign parts: An older or more literary way to say 'in foreign countries'.

Related Phrases

• "To be all abroad" (idiom, chiefly British, dated): To be completely mistaken or confused.

  • His answer showed he was all abroad on the subject. (His answer showed he was completely mistaken about the subject.)

• "The schoolmaster is abroad" (idiom, dated): This phrase, popularized in the 19th century, means that education is becoming widespread or that knowledge is being disseminated.

Adjective

1. in a foreign country
   • markets abroad
   • overseas markets

Adverb

1. in a place across an ocean
2. far away from home or one's usual surroundings
   • looking afield for new lands to conquer- R.A.Hall
3. to or in a foreign country
   • they had never travelled abroad