View synonyms for about

about

[uh-bout]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

preposition

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.
on every side of; around.
the railing about the excavation.
on or near (one's person).
They lost all they had about them.
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.
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.
from one place to another; in this place or that.
to move furniture about;
important papers strewn about.
in rotation or succession; alternately.
Turn about is fair play.
in circumference.
a wheel two inches about.
Nautical.
1. onto a new tack.
2. 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.

about

/ əˈbaʊt /

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
1. on the point of; intending to
  she was about to jump
2. (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

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of about¹

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. )

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of about¹

Old English abūtan, onbūtan on the outside of, around, from _on + būtan outside

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The famed editor, who stepped down from the Vogue gig this summer, said she went into the premiere of the original film wearing Prada but not knowing what the movie was about.

From Los Angeles Times

The company didn’t immediately answer questions about whether California residents will soon be able to get food delivery via a drone.

From Los Angeles Times

BBC Scotland News has spoken to two men living at the hotel as well as members of the community who say there are "mixed feelings" about the new residents.

From BBC

Asked about whether he would work for the BBC again, the presenter said he was not sure and was "really looking forward to working with ITV".

From BBC

In a post on X, Badenoch said Lord Mandelson "needs to be fired now" in response to the Sun's report about the diplomat's links to Epstein.

From BBC

Related Words

abound about face

Browse