whereabouts

1 of 3

adverb

where·​abouts ˈ(h)wer-ə-ˌbau̇ts How to pronounce whereabouts (audio)
variants or less commonly whereabout
: about where : near what place
whereabouts is the house

whereabouts

2 of 3

noun

variants or less commonly whereabout
singular or plural in construction
: the place or general locality where a person or thing is
their present whereabouts are a secret

whereabouts

3 of 3

conjunction

variants or less commonly whereabout
1
: near what place : where
know whereabouts he lives
2
obsolete : on what business or errand

Did you know?

Whereabouts Is or whereabouts Are?

Whereabouts may function as an adverb (“Whereabouts is it?”), a conjunction (“I know whereabouts he lives”), or a noun (“Her whereabouts were unknown”). The noun form may provoke confusion because it feels singular but looks plural; should one write “her whereabouts were” or "her whereabouts was”? Because the final -s is an adverbial suffix, not a plural ending (similar to the one at the end of besides), certain usage commentators have insisted on treating whereabouts as a singular noun. In spite of this, you should feel comfortable pairing it with a plural verb; while some have employed singular verbs with this word, the plural (“her whereabouts were”) has become the regular choice.

Examples of whereabouts in a Sentence

Adverb Whereabouts did you park the car? whereabouts do you expect to be on your journey tonight?
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
However, for the past 48 hours, conspiracy theories about the whereabouts of Kate Middleton have been shared wildly on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024 Conspiracy theories, jokes and memes regarding the whereabouts of Kate Middleton have reached a fever pitch on social media, as the Princess of Wales has not been seen in public since Christmas Day, and the internet has grown curious. Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Anybody with information on the whereabouts of the couple or the children was asked in the alert to call 911 or contact Wilmer police at 972-441-6565. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2024 Soon after, Golde was identified as a murder suspect but her whereabouts were unknown. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 The decline in parole violations coincided with a sharp increase in the number of parolees who absconded while on parole — that is, parolees whose whereabouts were unknown, failed to report to their parole officers, or who moved without permission. Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2024 This includes location data collected from cell phones that are capable in many cases of tracking people’s physical whereabouts almost constantly. Dell Cameron, WIRED, 16 Feb. 2024 In late December, Navalny surfaced in a penal colony in Russia’s far north following weeks during which his whereabouts were not known. Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 Interest in Swift’s whereabouts has increased in recent months, amid her highly public romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whereabouts.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English wheraboutes (from wher aboute + -s, adverb suffix) & wher aboute, from where, wher where + about, aboute about — more at whence

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined above

Conjunction

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of whereabouts was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near whereabouts

Cite this Entry

“Whereabouts.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whereabouts. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

whereabouts

1 of 2 adverb
where·​abouts -ə-ˌbau̇ts How to pronounce whereabouts (audio)
variants also whereabout
: about where
whereabouts is the house

whereabouts

2 of 2 noun singular or plural
: the place where a person or thing is
do you know their whereabouts

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