about

American  

[uh-bout] / əˈbaʊt /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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. 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

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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

   I've had just about enough of your insults

   it's about time you stopped

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

about Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing about

• 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
• no two ways about it
• nose about (around)
• 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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Etymology

Origin of about

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”; see out ( def. )

Explanation

The adverb about, when used with a quantity, means approximately or roughly. If a teenager wants to have a couple of friends over, his mom might ask about how many "a couple" is — in his mind it may be about 50. The adverb about can also be used for things that are almost, or just on the verge of happening. If you're about to graduate from high school, you're just finishing up your senior year. About also means around or on all sides. If you don't like animals, going to the petting zoo is a bad idea. The animals will be all about you.

Example Sentences

I spoke to him about several financial aspects of a marriage’s end.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

There are brutal truths in store for Nanning about what his family represents.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

It can cause a marriage to end, unleash a desire for revenge and influence how the divorcing couple’s children think about money as adults.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

In Council District 1, which includes Highland Park and Pico-Union, incumbent Hernandez topped the field with about $319,000 in contributions.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Okay, she had been telling me about a crush.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• almost
• nearly
• roughly