whereabouts
Americanadverb
conjunction
noun
adverb
-
Also: whereabout. at what approximate location or place; where
whereabouts are you?
-
obsolete about or concerning which
noun
Etymology
Origin of whereabouts
1400–50; late Middle English wheraboutes, equivalent to Middle English wheraboute ( see whereabout) + -s -s 1
Explanation
Your whereabouts are the place you are right now. When your dog gets lost, your family might form a search party to discover his whereabouts. Officially, the noun whereabouts can be treated as singular or plural, but it's more common to use it as plural. News stories about escaped prisoners or criminals on the run often mention that their whereabouts are unknown, and parents who like to keep tabs on a teenager's whereabouts sometimes buy her a cell phone. The earliest use of whereabouts, one sometimes used today, was as an interrogative adverb: "Whereabouts will you be this afternoon?"
Vocabulary lists containing whereabouts
Dear Martin
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"Stone Fox" by John Reynolds Gardiner
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Charlotte's Web
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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.
Suu Kyi’s condition and whereabouts have become a point of tension between Myanmar and its neighbors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Police say that the prime suspect in the case is 21-year-old Abdul B. and put out an appeal for information on his whereabouts as well as photo.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
There was also brief confusion over Dipke's whereabouts after the CJP initially said he had been detained.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
During questioning, FBI agents asked Bušić for his whereabouts on Dec. 29, 1975.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
But I’d acted extra-nice and generous to avoid a discussion with my parents about my whereabouts the previous evening, since they were under the impression I’d been at Fang’s.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
