abate

/əˈbeɪt/ (bre, ipa) · [əbˈet] /əˈbeɪt/ (ame, ipa) · [əbˈet] /ə-ˈbāt/ (ame, mw)

abate — verb

  • abatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • abateshe / she / it
  • abatedpast simple
  • abating-ing form

1. When something strong or unpleasant such as a storm, noise, pain, or anger gradu

1.動詞不及物C1
釋義

When something strong or unpleasant such as a storm, noise, pain, or anger gradually becomes less powerful and finally stops.

例句

After three days of heavy rain, the storm finally began to abate.

abate used for weather that naturally weakens

The night-shift nurse waited for the patient's fever to abate before leaving the room.

abate describing a physical symptom easing

同義詞
  • subside

    very close in meaning; subside often suggests a gradual sinking or calming, while abate is slightly more formal

  • ease

    less formal and more common in everyday speech; 'the pain eased'

  • die down

    phrasal verb, less formal; used for noise, wind, or excitement

反義詞
  • intensify

    to become stronger or more extreme

  • worsen

    to become more serious or severe

文法句型

abate (no object)

用法筆記

Subject is usually an unpleasant natural phenomenon or feeling: storm, wind, pain, fever, anger, noise. The verb is not used with a person as subject in this sense.

常見錯誤

❌The rain abated the heat.
✅The heat abated after the rain.
💡in this sense abate is intransitive and takes no object.
❌The medicine abated the pain.
✅The pain abated after the medicine.
💡for the intransitive 'become less' sense, the cause is not the subject.

2. To deliberately make something unpleasant like a problem, pain, pollution, or no

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

To deliberately make something unpleasant like a problem, pain, pollution, or noise weaker, less severe, or less widespread.

例句

The city council took several steps to abate noise from the airport.

abate + object for deliberate reduction of a problem

Rafael installed thicker windows to abate the traffic noise in his bedroom.

同義詞
  • reduce

    more general and common; abate is more formal and carries a sense of relief from something oppressive

  • lessen

    similar meaning but less formal; often used for pain, worry, or impact

  • mitigate

    formal, used especially in law or policy; suggests making something less harmful without fully removing it

反義詞

文法句型

abate + object

用法筆記

The subject is always a person, group, or measure that actively reduces something. Frequently used in formal contexts such as law, environmental policy, or medicine. This is the only sense that can take a direct object.

常見錯誤

❌The storm abated its force.
✅The storm abated.
💡storm cannot abate something else; use the intransitive sense for natural phenomena.