abutting

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "abutting" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to things that are touching each other at the boundary or edge. For example, "The two houses were abutting, with only a narrow alley between them."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Or it might have occurred in the rough-and-tumble of everyday life as a tiny fern grew up abutting a hornwort.

The Economist

His coalition runs the NWFP government and is part of a ruling coalition in Baluchistan, the other province abutting the colonial-era border, the Durand Line.

The Economist

Broadcasters had hoped to annex this valuable resource abutting their channels and use it to sell additional information services.They are well aware, too, that the trials they say proved white-space devices impaired their broadcasts were flawed, and were subsequently repeated successfully.

The Economist

Given its location—on the border, twinned with bloody Juarez, abutting the heavily-trafficked deserts of New Mexico and Arizona El Paso is one of the few cities in the United States where border security is more of a daily concern than illegal immigration.

The Economist

The Sinai peninsula, the easternmost part of Egypt abutting Israel, has been increasingly lawless since the fall of Hosni Mubarak a year-and-a-half ago.

The Economist

According to NATO peacekeepers in the province, the fighting has left a 28-year-old Uzbek interloper, known as Abdurrahman Shamal, and his 200 well-armed followers in control of about 40 local villages.The central government has never had much control in Faryab, a remote province abutting the border with Turkmenistan, and home to a million people, most of them ethnically Uzbek.

The Economist

Half live in the north, abutting Serbia proper; but the rest are in enclaves scattered across the province.

The Economist

THIRTY YEARS AGO Shenzhen was little more than a village, abutting the border of Hong Kong's New Territories.

The Economist

Its hands are full tackling the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the tribal areas of the country abutting Afghanistan.

The Economist

So you trundle along on the Lodge, the morning growing lighter but not sunnier, the sky becoming the same nondescript grey as the tarmac, when, at the Lodge's southward turn, where it meets the Davison freeway coming from the east, something unusual catches the corner of your eye.Along a service road abutting the motorway on high ground, you see four abandoned houses.

The Economist

Washington, DC would clean up the parade route, but not before federal contractors removed the risers and bike racks, and not sidewalks abutting private property; those were the owners' responsibility.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "abutting" to clearly describe physical adjacency, especially when precision about the shared boundary is important. For instance, when describing properties or geographical regions.

Common error

Avoid using "abutting" when you mean "abut". "Abutting" is the present participle or adjective form, while "abut" is the verb. Make sure you are using the correct form in your sentence.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "abutting" is as an adjective or a present participle. It modifies nouns to describe something that is next to, touches, or borders another object or area. Ludwig provides several examples demonstrating this usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Encyclopedias

30%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "abutting" is a versatile term used to describe things that share a boundary. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and provides many examples from reliable sources. Its primary function is to act as an adjective specifying a spatial relationship. It is considered neutral in register, making it appropriate for a variety of contexts like news articles, encyclopedia entries, and even scientific writing. While simple and direct, be careful to use "abutting" to avoid confusion with the verb "abut". Common synonyms include "adjacent to" and "bordering on", offering writers a range of expressive choices.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

adjacent to

This phrase directly indicates that something is next to or adjoining something else.

bordering on

Emphasizes that something forms a border or boundary with something else.

adjoining

Highlights the connection or joining of two things, often physically.

next to

A simple and direct way to indicate that something is beside something else.

contiguous with

Suggests a close or uninterrupted connection or sequence.

in contact with

Indicates that two things are physically touching each other.

alongside

Implies being side by side or next to something.

verging on

Suggests that something is bordering something, often used figuratively.

connecting with

Focuses on the link or connection between two things.

surrounding

While it can mean completely enclosing, it sometimes implies bordering a space.

FAQs

How is "abutting" typically used in a sentence?

"Abutting" is often used to describe properties or regions that share a common boundary. For example, "The garden is abutting the forest" means it shares a border with the forest.

What words have similar meanings to "abutting"?

Alternatives to "abutting" include "adjacent to", "bordering on", or "adjoining". The best choice depends on the specific context and the nuance you want to convey.

Is it correct to say something "abuts" something else, or should I always use "abutting"?

Both are correct, but they have different grammatical functions. "Abuts" is a verb, meaning to touch or border upon, while "abutting" is a participle or adjective, describing something that is touching or bordering. For example, "The building abuts the park" versus "The abutting buildings are similar in style."

What’s the difference between "abutting" and "surrounding"?

"Abutting" implies a shared boundary, while "surrounding" implies encompassing something on all or most sides. Two properties can be abutting if they share a fence line. A fence can't be abutting to a property, but the fence is surrounding the property.