about to

1. Ready to, on the verge of, as in I was about to leave when it began to rain , or He hasn't finished yet but he's about to . This usage was first recorded in Miles Coverdale's 1535 translation of the Bible (Joshua 18:8).

2. not about to . Having no intention of doing something, as in The shop steward was not about to cross the picket line , or Are you staying longer?—No, I'm not about to . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Prince George has that surprised, about-to-pass-wind look all babies being carried around have.

From The Daily Beast

“I have no pity for that about-to-be-divorced woman who had been ready to live off the written words of someone else,” she writes.

From The Daily Beast

And so, my about-to-be-fellow alumni, I wish you every success as you enter that never-ending graduate school called life.

From The Daily Beast

Through the whole room, it seemed, swept a curious cottony sense of Something-About-to-Happen!

From Project Gutenberg

And Sivert walks on ahead with the transcendent smile of the martyr-about-to-be.

From Project Gutenberg

"My honour is the honour of this bridge," he would say to the about-to-be dismissed.

From Project Gutenberg

As stated, the crew in the about-to-collapse boat was Stewart Edward White.

From Project Gutenberg

"My honour is the honour of this bridge," he would say to the about-to-be-dismissed.

From Project Gutenberg