Abound In or With: Standard Pattern
Abound In or With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “abound in” or “abound with” when something has a large amount or number of the thing that follows.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Context | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| a place or thing contains many examples of something | abound in + noun | “In” is a documented option before what is plentiful. |
| a place or thing is full of many examples of something | abound with + noun | “With” is also a documented option in the same broad pattern. |
| editing for a consistent house style | choose one natural form and keep it consistent | Do not manufacture a correctness distinction between the two documented prepositions. |
Quick tests
Decision test
Do you mean that the subject contains or has a large amount or number of what follows?
If yes: Either “abound in” or “abound with” can fit the documented pattern.
If no: Check the verb sense rather than treating one preposition as universally required.
Caveat: Both prepositions are directly documented here; context and editorial preference may affect which sounds more natural.
Examples
The region abounds in small lakes.
“Abounds in” introduces things that exist there in large numbers.
The garden abounds with insects in summer.
“Abounds with” is also documented for something present in large numbers.
The archive abounds in useful examples.
The “in” form works with a plural count noun.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “abound in” or “abound with” when something has a large amount or number of the thing that follows.
Style Boundary
Cambridge directly documents both “abound in” and “abound with.” Inflected forms such as “abounds” and “abounding” follow the same phrasal-verb pattern.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- abound in/with something — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge dictionary entry directly documenting the phrasal verb abound in/with something for having a large amount or number.