View synonyms for about

about

[ uh-bout ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

preposition

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.
1. onto a new tack.
2. 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.

about

/ əˈbaʊt /

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
about to
1. on the point of; intending to
  she was about to jump
2. 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
it's about time you stopped
I've had just about enough of your insults
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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of about¹

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”; out ( def )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of about¹

Old English abūtan, onbūtan on the outside of, around, from on + būtan outside

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Idioms and Phrases

at about
beat about the bush
bring about
cast about
come about
do an about-face
get about
go about (one's business)
how about (that)
just about
knock about
lay about
man about town
nose about (around)
no two ways about it
order someone about
out and about
see about
send someone about someone's business
set about
that's about the size of it
up and about
what about someone (something)

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Pelley told “60 Minutes” viewers about Owens’ resignation, noting that journalists had been facing increased corporate oversight because of Paramount’s desire to win the Trump administration’s approval of the Skydance deal.

From Los Angeles Times

The cameras were trained on Meri Brown as she sat on a couch and prepared to talk about her birthday.

From Los Angeles Times

Robitaille is scheduled to to speak Tuesday about the coaching situation and the search for a new general manager.

From Los Angeles Times

California leaders also have raised concerns about the planned closure of the Health and Human Services office in San Francisco.

From Los Angeles Times

None of that is about justice or safety — most violent crime rates are actually declining, despite what the president would like us to believe.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

abound about face

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