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.
That caveat matters: Humanoid robots are not about to replace China’s factory workforce overnight.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
The team was about to take her to the operating room when he was finally able to detach it.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
Riding the line of being just about to break, it’s so much fun.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
A new James Bond is about to make his debut - not on the big screen, but in a video game.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
So we walked together, and as we did I asked what he’d been about to say to me earlier.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
