about
Americanpreposition
-
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.
-
onto a new tack.
-
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.
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
-
-
on the point of; intending to
she was about to jump
-
(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
Etymology
Origin of about
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”; see out ( def. )
Explanation
The adverb about, when used with a quantity, means approximately or roughly. If a teenager wants to have a couple of friends over, his mom might ask about how many "a couple" is — in his mind it may be about 50. The adverb about can also be used for things that are almost, or just on the verge of happening. If you're about to graduate from high school, you're just finishing up your senior year. About also means around or on all sides. If you don't like animals, going to the petting zoo is a bad idea. The animals will be all about you.
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.
The mid-20th century saw increasing societal concern about global population growth and its potential to lead to resource scarcity and geopolitical conflict.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
The complaint said Alfozan queried a productivity tool to ask about meeting rooms where company leadership met and where external company partners would meet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
I now carry a physical Ventra card, load $20 onto it when necessary and go about my business.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
"The kids are very distraught, they are suffering, they've lost their mother at the moment and we genuinely don't know what to do about it," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
As a devout Catholic, Joey knows all about the Jesuits, one of many religious orders within the Catholic Church.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
