a·broad / əˈbrôd/ • adv. 1. in or to a foreign country or countries: we usually go abroad for a week in May.2. in different directions; over a wide area: seeds scattered abroad. ∎  (of a feeling or rumor) widely current: there is a new buccaneering spirit abroad. ∎  freely moving about: con artists abroad on the streets of the town.• n. foreign countries considered collectively: servicemen returning from abroad.

abroad †widely, at large XIII; out of doors XIV; in or into foreign lands XV. f. A-1 + BROAD; prob. suggested by ME. *a brēde, on brēde (OE. brǣdu BREADTH).