about
Americanpreposition
-
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.
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on every side of; around.
the railing about the excavation.
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on or near (one's person).
They lost all they had about them.
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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.
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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.
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from one place to another; in this place or that.
to move furniture about;
important papers strewn about.
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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.
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
-
-
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
I've had just about enough of your insults
it's about time you stopped
-
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
Etymology
Origin of about
First recorded before 900; Middle English aboute(n), Old English abūtan, onbūtan “on the outside of,” equivalent to a- 1 ( def. ) + but 1 ( def. ); cognate with Gothic utana, Old Norse, Old Saxon ūtan, Old Frisian ūta, Old High German ūzan(a) “outside”; out ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Manager Sarina Wiegman says England have been given reassurances there are no safety concerns about their Women's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine being held in Turkey as the conflict in the Middle East widens.
From BBC
We asked the former PM whether he has any regrets about the events that happened on his watch.
From BBC
It has been estimated that a typical cremation has a footprint equivalent to about 320kg of carbon dioxide- Alkaline hydrolysis is found to result in the emission of seven times less CO2.
From BBC
In fact, Culkin said he was proud of the fact that members of the public still seemed confused about his and Song’s relationship—as well as the fact that they share two children.
From MarketWatch
In a 2023 Vogue interview about the project, the actress revealed that she had always had a fascination with Cleopatra, having heard so many stories about her as a child growing up in Israel.
From MarketWatch
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.
