whereabouts
Americanadverb
conjunction
noun
adverb
-
Also: whereabout. at what approximate location or place; where
whereabouts are you?
-
obsolete about or concerning which
noun
Etymology
Origin of whereabouts
1400–50; late Middle English wheraboutes, equivalent to Middle English wheraboute ( whereabout ) + -s -s 1
Explanation
Your whereabouts are the place you are right now. When your dog gets lost, your family might form a search party to discover his whereabouts. Officially, the noun whereabouts can be treated as singular or plural, but it's more common to use it as plural. News stories about escaped prisoners or criminals on the run often mention that their whereabouts are unknown, and parents who like to keep tabs on a teenager's whereabouts sometimes buy her a cell phone. The earliest use of whereabouts, one sometimes used today, was as an interrogative adverb: "Whereabouts will you be this afternoon?"
Vocabulary lists containing whereabouts
Dear Martin
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"Stone Fox" by John Reynolds Gardiner
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Charlotte's Web
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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.
Speculation swirled Saturday about Swalwell’s whereabouts after the congressman announced that he intended to spend time with his wife.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
“Her whereabouts are absolutely unknown,” a police officer told the Star-Telegram.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
Michael Abatti’s attorneys declined to comment on his health or current whereabouts.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
The UCI introduced GPS trackers for the 2025 World Championships in Rwanda, so the whereabouts of riders were known at all times.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
He called himself Captain Smith because he did not want his enemies to know his whereabouts.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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.
