What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Upon vs Ab - What's the difference?

upon | ab |

As a preposition upon

is being above and in contact with another.

As an adverb upon

is being the target of an action.

As a noun ab is

abdominal muscle.

As an abbreviation AB is

alberta, a province of Canada.

As an initialism AB is

able seaman; able-bodied seaman.

As a proper noun Ab is

av.

upon

English

Alternative forms

* vpon (obsolete)

Preposition

(English prepositions)
  • Being above and in contact with another.
  • :
  • *{{quote-book, year=1899, author=(Hughes Mearns)
    • , title= , passage=Yesterday, upon the stair / I met a man who wasn’t there / He wasn’t there again today / I wish, I wish he’d go away …}}
  • Being directly supported by another.
  • :
  • :
  • Being followed by another so as to form a series.
  • :
  • At a prescribed point in time.
  • :
  • .
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.}}
  • *
  • *:Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence.

    • Usage notes

    A somewhat elevated word; the simpler, more general term on is generally interchangeable, and more common in casual American speech. In poetic or legal contexts, upon is common.

    Synonyms

    * (all senses) on * (time) at

    Adverb

    (-)
  • Being the target of an action.
    • He was set upon by the agitated dogs
  • Incidental to a specified point in time or order of action; usually combined with here-, there- or where-.
    • The clock struck noon, whereupon the students proceeded to lunch.

    Derived terms

    * hereupon * thereupon * whereupon

    Statistics

    *

    ab

    English

    (wikipedia ab)

    Etymology 1

    Abbreviation of (abdominal) (muscles).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (informal) abdominal muscle.
  • * 2006 , H. Peter Steeves, The Things Themselves (page 75)
    • The bikinied models in most of the ESPN2 shows have abs . Many of the malnourished bikinied models in the commercials have visible rib cages. How did the two get conflated into a shared vision of beauty?
  • * 2010 , Bill Geiger, "6-pack Abs in 9 Weeks", Reps! 17:106
    • When possible, do your ab workout on a day when you're not training a major muscle group.
    Usage notes
    Most often used attributively. Substantive use is more common in the plural form (abs).

    Etymology 2

    Abbreviation of (abscess).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (slang) An abscess caused by injecting an illegal drug, usually heroin.

    • Etymology 3

    Abbreviations, see definitions.