whereabouts

[hwair-uh-bouts, wair-]

adverb

1. about where? where?

conjunction

1. near or in what place.

   trying to find whereabouts in the world we were.

noun

1. (used with a singular or plural verb),  the place where a person or thing is; the locality of a person or thing.

   no clue as to his whereabouts.

whereabouts

/ ˈwɛərəˌbaʊts /

adverb

1. Also: whereabout. at what approximate location or place; where

   whereabouts are you?

2. obsolete,  about or concerning which

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) the place, esp the approximate place, where a person or thing is

Word History and Origins

Origin of whereabouts¹

1400–50; late Middle English wheraboutes, equivalent to Middle English wheraboute ( whereabout ) + -s -s ¹

Example Sentences

Until The Gambian government confirmed his presence, his whereabouts had remained a mystery although there was speculation that he had fled to another country in the region.

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His whereabouts are unknown, and he was last spotted at a pub near Glastonbury, a few days before this year's festival.

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“Oh, what a tangled web we weave,” Alex says in response to the prosecutor questioning why he lied about his whereabouts on the night of the murders.

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The Incorrigibles did not know the villain’s whereabouts, but they rarely thought about it.

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“I intend to remain headmistress at the Swanburne Academy for many a year to come. Should anyone of interest inquire as to your whereabouts, I will put you in touch with them directly.”

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