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about
[ uh-bout ]
preposition
- of; concerning; in regard to:
instructions about the work;
a book about the Civil War.
- connected or associated with:
There was an air of mystery about him.
- near; close to:
a man about my height;
about six o'clock.
- in or somewhere near:
He is about the house.
- on every side of; around:
the railing about the excavation.
- on or near (one's person):
They lost all they had about them.
- so as to be of use to:
Keep your wits about you.
- on the verge or point of (usually followed by an infinitive):
about to leave.
- here or there in, on, or over:
to wander about the old castle;
to look about the auditorium at the audience.
- concerned with; engaged in doing:
Tell me what it's about.
Bring me the other book while you're about it.
adverb
- near in time, number, degree, etc.; approximately:
It's about five miles from here.
- nearly; almost:
Dinner is about ready.
- nearby; not far off:
He is somewhere about.
- on every side; in every direction; around:
Look about and see if you can find it.
- halfway around; in the opposite direction:
to turn a car about.
- from one place to another; in this place or that:
to move furniture about;
important papers strewn about.
- in rotation or succession; alternately:
Turn about is fair play.
- in circumference:
a wheel two inches about.
- Nautical.
- onto a new tack.
- onto a new course.
adjective
- moving around; astir:
He was up and about while the rest of us still slept.
- in existence; current; prevalent:
Chicken pox is about.
about
/ əˈʊ /
preposition
- relating to; concerning; on the subject of
- near or close to (in space or time)
- carried on
I haven't any money about me
- on every side of; all the way around
- active in or engaged in
she is about her business
- about to
- on the point of; intending to
she was about to jump
- with a negative determined not to
nobody is about to miss it
adverb
- approximately; near in number, time, degree, etc
about 50 years old
- nearby
- here and there; from place to place; in no particular direction
walk about to keep warm
- all around; on every side
- in or to the opposite direction
he turned about and came back
- in rotation or revolution
turn and turn about
- used in informal phrases to indicate understatement
it's about time you stopped
I've had just about enough of your insults
- archaic.in circumference; around
adjective
- predicative active; astir after sleep
up and about
- predicative in existence, current, or in circulation
there aren't many about nowadays
Word History and Origins
Origin of about1
Word History and Origins
Origin of about1
Idioms and Phrases
- at about
- beat about the bush
- bring about
- cast about
- come about
- do an about-face
- get about
- go about (one's business)
- how about (that)
- just about
- knock about
- lay about
- man about town
- nose about (around)
- no two ways about it
- order someone about
- out and about
- see about
- send someone about someone's business
- set about
- that's about the size of it
- up and about
- what about someone (something)
Example Sentences
Redstone, who serves as Paramount’s chairwoman, recused herself from discussions about the settlement, the sources said.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has paid out about $1.5 billion to victims of abuse by Catholic priests.
The action from Democrats inspired a wave of criticism about the party’s priorities during the hearing and on social media.
OC Community Cats, a nonprofit organization that aims to help manage Orange County’s stray and feral cat population, posted about the event but told The Times it was not the main organizer.
Indigenous Australians, who represent about 3.8% of the nation's 26 million population, are by most socio-economic measures the most disadvantaged people in the country - something successive leaders have for years called a "national shame".
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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