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

Spoken like a woman who knows what she wants in life and isn’t about to compromise.

From Los Angeles Times

We’re about to be deluged with the most brazen and dangerous lies of our lifetimes.

From Slate

She was about to move from primary school to post-primary at the time.

From BBC

And when he was seen sharing a car with Gordon Brown and stopping off at a Scottish oyster bar, the rumours that Tony Blair was about to stand down intensified.

From BBC

Vice President-elect JD Vance revealed in a since-deleted post on X that he and President-elect Donald Trump are interviewing candidates for FBI director, which all but confirms that the current director, Christopher Wray, an appointee from Trump's first term in office, is about to get fired.

From Salon