ab

1 of 6

noun (1)

: an abdominal muscle
usually used in plural

ab

2 of 6

abbreviation (1)

about
: the 11th month of the civil year or the 5th month of the ecclesiastical year in the Jewish calendar see Months of the Principal Calendars Table
: the one of the four ABO blood groups characterized by the presence of antigens designated by the letters A and B and by the absence of antibodies against these antigens

AB

5 of 6

abbreviation (2)

1
able seaman; able-bodied seaman
2
abort; abortion
3
airborne
4
airman basic
5
Alberta
6
[New Latin artium baccalaureus] bachelor of arts

ab-

6 of 6

prefix

: from : away : off
abaxial

Examples of ab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The singer and actress, 55, bared her toned abs while out and about in Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 13. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2024 And while Thursday’s show may not have elicited quite that frenzied reaction, Usher did manage to prompt shrieks with each flash of abs or athletic dance move. Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 13 Sep. 2024 Squeeze your glutes and abs and push through your heels to lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees Pause and squeeze your glutes at the top, then slowly lower your hips to return to the starting position. Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 9 Sep. 2024 But only biceps, glutes, abs and obliques nabbed the top four spots. Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ab 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

Hebrew Ābh

Prefix

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin ab-, abs-, a-, from ab, a — more at of

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1956, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1771, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ab was circa 1771

Dictionary Entries Near ab

Cite this Entry

“Ab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ab. Accessed 28 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

ab-

prefix
: from : away : departing from
abnormal
Etymology

Prefix

Latin ab- "from, away"

Medical Definition

ab

1 of 4 noun
: abdominal
usually used in plural
highly developed abs
ab exercises

ab

2 of 4 abbreviation
1
or AB abort; abortion
2
about

AB

3 of 4 noun
: the one of the four ABO blood groups characterized by the presence of antigens designated by the letters A and B and by the absence of antibodies against these antigens

AB

4 of 4 abbreviation
1
aid to blind
2
[Latin artium baccalaureus] bachelor of arts

More from Merriam-Webster on ab

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