about to

1. Ready to, on the verge of, as in I was about to leave when it began to rain , or He hasn't finished yet but he's about to . This usage was first recorded in Miles Coverdale's 1535 translation of the Bible (Joshua 18:8).

2. not about to . Having no intention of doing something, as in The shop steward was not about to cross the picket line , or Are you staying longer?—No, I'm not about to . [ Colloquial ; first half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

They aren’t about to replace humans, says Melissa Michelson, who likens the devices to assisted-driving technology in some vehicles.

From BBC

And Virginia D. Aderholt decoded the intercepted message from the Japanese that they were about to surrender, which ended the war.

From National Geographic Kids

If they were frustrated, it was nothing compared to the state they were about to get themselves.

From BBC

From the phone call we’d just had, I was becoming aware that this difference between us was about to be tested.

From Los Angeles Times

The choice of Fox News celebrity Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense was the first inkling that this was about to go seriously off the rails.

From Salon