abutment
noun
abut·ment
| \ ə-ˈbət-mənt
\
\
plural abutments
Definition of abutment
1
: the place at which abutting occurs
2a
: the part of a structure (such as an arch or a bridge) that directly receives thrust or pressure
b
dentistry
: a tooth or part of a dental implant to which a prosthetic appliance (such as a bridge or artificial crown) is attached for support
A dental bridge, like a highway bridge … is supported by abutments, sound teeth on either side of the empty gap. — Mount Sinai Medical Center Family Guide to Dental Health
Examples of abutment in a Sentence
The car crashed into a bridge abutment.
Recent Examples on the Web
What Barbara wants to do is avoid driving off the road or into a bridge abutment. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "How to handle a ‘medical event’ while driving?," 18 Aug. 2019 What Barbara wants to do is avoid driving off the road, or into a bridge abutment. — Ray Magliozzi, courant.com, "Car Talk: Till death do us part," 8 July 2019 Maxwell said other work this fall will include the repair of earthquake damage to the abutments on the new northbound bridge, which saw its approach slab sink on both ends in the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on Nov. 30, 2018. — Matt Tunseth, Anchorage Daily News, "Work begins on second phase of Glenn Highway bridge project in Eagle River," 8 Aug. 2019 The closure will last through Aug. 12, to allow Metra to start building the abutments of a new railroad bridge over the road, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation and Metra. — Mary Wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, "Metra bridge construction closing Foster Avenue for two weeks," 26 July 2019 The collapse of the bridge southwest of the town of Northwood occurred around 1:15 p.m. local time, and when deputies arrived, the trailer of the truck was hung up on the west abutment, the sheriff's office said. — NBC News, "Too-heavy big rig collapses 100-year-old bridge in North Dakota, sheriff's office says," 23 July 2019 The district will be pouring concrete abutments and setting the bridge in the forest preserve back in place during the work. — Beacon-news Staff, Aurora Beacon-News, "Trail closures planned in Aurora, Sugar Grove," 14 June 2019 Wolf Pecher, an associate professor at the University of Baltimore, leads Dan to the rare native plant, the purple-stemmed cliff brake, discovered growing in a railroad bridge abutment during a recent biodiversity survey in the Jones Falls Valley. — Dan Rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "What's growing in Baltimore: purple cliff brakes and 100 orchards," 11 June 2018 The previous design for Avenue 8, using what is known as mechanically stabilized earth walls, is generally considered cheaper than the new design, using cast in place abutments. — Ralph Vartabedian, latimes.com, "California bullet train authority ordered part of a flawed bridge torn down," 8 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abutment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for abutment
abutment
noun
English Language Learners Definition of abutment
technical
: a heavy structure that supports something (such as a bridge)
See the full definition for abutment in the English Language Learners Dictionary
abutment
noun
abut·ment
| \ ə-ˈbət-mənt
\
\
Medical Definition of abutment
: a tooth or part of a dental implant to which a prosthetic appliance (such as a bridge or artificial crown) is attached for support
A dental bridge, like a highway bridge … is supported by abutments, sound teeth on either side of the empty gap. — Mount Sinai Medical Center Family Guide to Dental Health, 1991 Once the healing period is over, the gum is cut open again and a little metal cylinder called an abutment is put in the implant. It takes another few days for the gum to heal before the crown is put on … — Harvard Health Letter, 2003
abutment
noun
abut·ment
| \ ə-ˈbət-mənt
\
\
Legal Definition of abutment
: the place at which abutting occurs
at the abutment of two properties
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