about

[ uh-bout ]

preposition

1. of; concerning; in regard to:

   instructions about the work;

   a book about the Civil War.

2. connected or associated with:

   There was an air of mystery about him.

3. near; close to:

   a man about my height;

   about six o'clock.

4. in or somewhere near:

   He is about the house.

5. on every side of; around:

   the railing about the excavation.

6. on or near (one's person):

   They lost all they had about them.

7. so as to be of use to:

   Keep your wits about you.

8. on the verge or point of (usually followed by an infinitive):

   about to leave.

9. here or there in, on, or over:

   to wander about the old castle;

   to look about the auditorium at the audience.

10. concerned with; engaged in doing:

    Tell me what it's about.

    Bring me the other book while you're about it.

adverb

1. near in time, number, degree, etc.; approximately:

   It's about five miles from here.

2. nearly; almost:

   Dinner is about ready.

3. nearby; not far off:

   He is somewhere about.

4. on every side; in every direction; around:

   Look about and see if you can find it.

5. halfway around; in the opposite direction:

   to turn a car about.

6. from one place to another; in this place or that:

   to move furniture about;

   important papers strewn about.

7. in rotation or succession; alternately:

   Turn about is fair play.

8. in circumference:

   a wheel two inches about.

9. Nautical.
   1. onto a new tack.
   2. onto a new course.

adjective

1. moving around; astir:

   He was up and about while the rest of us still slept.

2. in existence; current; prevalent:

   Chicken pox is about.

about

/ əˈbaʊt /

preposition

1. relating to; concerning; on the subject of
2. near or close to (in space or time)
3. carried on

   I haven't any money about me

4. on every side of; all the way around
5. active in or engaged in

   she is about her business

6. 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

1. approximately; near in number, time, degree, etc

   about 50 years old

2. nearby
3. here and there; from place to place; in no particular direction

   walk about to keep warm

4. all around; on every side
5. in or to the opposite direction

   he turned about and came back

6. in rotation or revolution

   turn and turn about

7. used in informal phrases to indicate understatement

   it's about time you stopped

   I've had just about enough of your insults

8. archaic.
   in circumference; around

adjective

1. predicative active; astir after sleep

   up and about

2. predicative in existence, current, or in circulation

   there aren't many about nowadays

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 )

Word History and Origins

Origin of about¹

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

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)

Example Sentences

"Our work shows that there's reason to be hopeful about C. oligandrus's potential in aiding in the HIV cure effort," said Dr. Tietjen, the corresponding author on the paper from Wistar.

From Science Daily

These initiation sites contain regulatory elements and provide information to the cell about when and where to transcribe each gene to make protein, and how frequently to do so at any point in time.

From Science Daily

‘One Tree Hill’ actor Bevin Prince opens up about the death of her husband, Will Friend, five months after he was struck by lightning.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s about a guy who’s trying to kill the memory of a woman who left him.

From Los Angeles Times

“There are no shortcuts. And that’s what I love about it the most.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• almost
• nearly
• roughly