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.
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near; close to.
a man about my height;
about six o'clock.
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in or somewhere near.
He is about the house.
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on every side of; around.
the railing about the excavation.
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on or near (one's person).
They lost all they had about them.
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so as to be of use to.
Keep your wits about you.
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on the verge or point of (usually followed by an infinitive).
about to leave.
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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.
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nearly; almost.
Dinner is about ready.
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nearby; not far off.
He is somewhere about.
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on every side; in every direction; around.
Look about and see if you can find it.
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halfway around; in the opposite direction.
to turn a car about.
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from one place to another; in this place or that.
to move furniture about;
important papers strewn about.
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in rotation or succession; alternately.
Turn about is fair play.
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in circumference.
a wheel two inches about.
-
Nautical.
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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
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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
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all around; on every side
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in or to the opposite direction
he turned about and came back
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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.
Chinese consumers are still somewhat concerned about their personal financial situations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The proposed airplane would seat about 250 passengers and fly about 5,000 nautical miles, fitting between the biggest narrowbodies and the smallest wide-bodies that Boeing and Airbus currently sell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
JetZero has also lured the backing of about 20 airlines including Delta Air Lines, Alaska and United, which has a conditional order for 200 of the Z4.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Blackstone’s leveraged buyout saddled Jersey Mike’s with about $500 million in additional debt, bringing the total to $2.1 billion and boosting its annual interest expenses to $104 million in 2025 from $43 million in 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
There are about 450 patients, each with an individual room.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
