about to
Idioms-
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).
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
You’d want to underweight stocks so long as you believe interest rates will continue rising, but overweight them once you think that a rate-cut cycle is about to begin.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Now he’ll miss at least one game — and almost certainly more — at a time when the Trojans are about to enter the toughest stretch of their schedule.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
A spoilerphobe himself, Fennessey will often tell listeners when he’s about to reveal something.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Watch: Is Canada about to join the EU?
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The horsemen accompanying the women were not about to let anyone block the road.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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.
