Abate Meaning: Abated, Abating and Everyday Examples

Abate (verb). Abate means to become less intense, or to make something less intense. It can describe noise, wind, anger or other conditions decreasing. Something that abates does not necessarily disappear completely.

Example: The noise outside began to abate after the last bus left.

How to pronounce abate

Say it: uh-BAYT. Capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Verb forms · Abating meaning · Examples · Quick quiz

Abated, abating and abates: meaning and forms

• Abate: the base form. “We waited for the shouting to abate.”
• Abates: the present form with he, she or it. “The traffic noise abates late at night.”
• Abated: the past tense and past participle. “Her frustration abated after they explained the delay.”
• Abating: the -ing form. “The wind is abating, but it is still strong.”

Drop the final e before adding -ing: abate → abating.

What does abating mean?

Abating means becoming weaker or less intense. In “The storm is abating,” the storm is easing now. Abated describes a past change: “By morning, the storm had abated.” Neither sentence necessarily means that the storm has stopped.

No sign of abating means that something is continuing without becoming weaker. “Demand for the evening class shows no sign of abating” means demand remains strong; it is not starting to fall.

How to use abate in a sentence

Often, the thing becoming weaker is the subject: “The excitement abated.” In that use, the verb has no object.

It can also take an object when someone or something reduces a condition: “The new barriers helped abate the noise.” This pattern is especially common in formal or technical writing.

• The cheers finally abated when the speaker returned.
• Our enthusiasm showed no sign of abating after the first rehearsal.
• The repairs should help abate the vibration from the machine.

Abate, subside and stop

Abate and subside can both describe a condition becoming less intense. Stop says that it ends. “The rain abated” can mean that it became lighter while continuing to fall.

Lessen, diminish and decrease are useful alternatives. Possible opposites include intensify and increase. Their grammar and word combinations can differ.

Register and other uses

Abate is more formal than “die down” or “become less.” In a casual message, “The noise has died down” may sound more natural.

You may also encounter the word in legal or administrative texts, where it can refer to ending something or reducing an amount. Read those uses in their particular context.

The word came through French, with roots associated with beating down. The everyday lesson here focuses on reduction in intensity.

Practise abate: three quick questions

Try each question before opening its answer. For the writing question, your own correct sentence is welcome.

Question 1

“The wind abated.” Must this mean the wind stopped completely?

Question 2

Complete: “Yesterday the noise ___.” Choose abates, abated or abating.

Question 3

Rewrite “The excitement is becoming less intense” using abate.

Keep learning

Compare these words next: Elated meaning and practice and Pragmatic meaning and practice.

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Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Abate. The examples and practice questions on this page are written for English Skill Studio.