go about

British  

verb

1. (adverb) to move from place to place

2. (preposition) to busy oneself with

   to go about one's duties

3. (preposition) to tackle (a problem or task)

4. (preposition) to be actively and constantly engaged in (doing something)

   he went about doing good

5. to circulate (in)

   there's a lot of flu going about

6. (adverb) (of a sailing ship) to change from one tack to another

---

go about Idioms  

1. Also, go around . Move here and there, to and fro; also, circulate. For example, She's been going about telling everyone the news , or A report went around that the dollar was dropping . [c. 1300]

2. Set about, undertake, as in I'm not sure how to go about making a pie . [Late 1600s]

3. go about one's business . Proceed with one's own proper occupation or concern. For example, Don't bother with that—just go about your business . [Late 1600s]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

go about

During the expedition, the participants go about their tasks diligently.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

“With Texas there’s no surprises. You understand the laws, and they understand you, and you go about your job,” Warren said at a Dallas conference in late 2024.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Making Shakespeare’s plays accessible is a noble goal, but there are other ways to go about this beyond modernizing the text and diluting its lyrical beauty and nuance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

"We are consulting with them on how they want to go about doing this," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

“The plan,” my mom began, “is to go about business as usual.”

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Related Words

• set about