ABC
/eɪ biː ˈsiː/
ABC noun: the English alphabet. Also the ellipsis of ABC store.
Noun (1)
ABC (countable and uncountable, plural ABCs or ABC's)
- The English alphabet.
- Do you know your ABC? (US: Do you know your ABCs?)
- A type of poem in which the lines start with the letters of the alphabet in order.
- A primer for teaching the Latin alphabet and first elements of reading.
- The fundamentals of any subject.
- the ABC of finance
- This was the Alma Mater of the Brigade, where it learned its A B C of military tactics.1866, D. P. Conyngham, The Irish Brigade and Its Campaigns: With Some Account of the Corcoran Legion, and Sketches of the Principal Officers, Glasgow: Cameron & Ferguson, page 28
- Synonyms:
- basics, fundamentals, alphabet
- A straightforward, uniform playing style, often focusing on betting for value, folding weak hands, and avoiding bluffing.
- A British alphabetized guidebook listing trains and their stations.
- "That will do. How are the trains for Netherhempsfield?"
Greatorex put down the notebook and took up an "ABC."1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC - For this reason his heart sank when, emerging from his study into the great hall at quarter to eleven, he met Beaver already dressed and prepared to be entertained; it was only a momentary vexation, however, for while he wished him good morning he noticed that his guest had an A.B.C. in his hands...1934, Evelyn Waugh, A Handful of Dust, Chapman & Hall
- "That will do. How are the trains for Netherhempsfield?"
Proper noun
ABC
- An imperative general-purpose programming language, intended for teaching or prototyping.
Noun (2)
ABC (uncountable)
- A keyboard layout in which all keys are arranged in alphabetical order in English.
Also used as
ABC is also the ellipsis of ABC store.
ABC is also the initialism of airway.
ABC is also the initialism of alcoholic beverage control.
ABC is also the initialism of American-born Chinese.
ABC is also the initialism of Australian-born Chinese.
ABC is also the initialism of activity-based costing.
ABC meaning in Tamil
ABC in Tamil
- rudiments
- அனா ஆவன்னா aṉā āvaṉṉā
Synonyms of ABC
Forms of ABC
| plural | ABCs |
|---|---|
| plural | ABC's |
| alternative form | absey |
| alternative form | ABCD |
| alternative form | ABCDE |
Origin of ABC
From Middle English abece, ABC, from the first three letters of the Latin alphabet, standing for the whole alphabet.
Initialisms.
Like QWERTY, the name is based on the first letter keys.
Words formed from ABC
- ABC book
- ABC guide
- easy as ABC
- ABC transporter
- ABC exporter
Phrases with ABC
Questions about ABC
- What does ABC mean?
- ABC means the English alphabet.
- What is ABC in Tamil?
- ABC in Tamil is அனா ஆவன்னா (aṉā āvaṉṉā). See ABC meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is ABC?
- ABC can be a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce ABC?
- ABC is pronounced /eɪ biː ˈsiː/.
- What is the plural of ABC?
- The plural of ABC is ABCs.
Words near ABC in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: ABC (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-ABC.ogg.
Cite this entry: “ABC.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/abc. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.