1
a
: reasonably close to
about a year ago
b
: almost
about starved
just about finished
c
: on the verge of
—usually used with be and a following infinitive
is about to join the army
—used with a negative to express intention or determinationnot about to quit
2
: on all sides : around
looked about for a place to park
3
a
: in rotation
They go about in circles.
b
: around the outside
4
: in many different directions : here and there
walked about for hours
5
: in the vicinity : near
He spoke to the people standing about.
6
: in the opposite direction
face about
the other way about
1
: in a circle around : on every side of : around
People gathered about him.
2
a
: in the immediate neighborhood of : near
Fish are abundant about the reefs.
b
: on or near the person of
had a pleasing fragrance about her
c
: in the makeup of
a mature wisdom about him
d
: at the command of
has his wits about him
3
: engaged in
… act as if they know what they're about …—
T. S. Matthews
T. S. Matthews4
a
: with regard to : concerning
spoke about his past
b
: concerned with
c
: fundamentally concerned with or directed toward
… poker is about money.—David Mamet
David Mamet5
: over or in different parts of
He traveled about the country.
1
: moving from place to place
specifically
: being out of bed
is up and about by 7 a.m.
2
: around sense 2
There is a scarcity of jobs about.
Examples of about in a Sentence
Adverb
We're about ready to go.
This one is about as bad as that one.
That's about all I know at this point.
It's about time to go.
That's about all the time we have.
We tried just about everything we could think of.
Preposition
a poignant story about a young man who goes off to war
about the hedge there was a picket fence
Recent Examples on the Web
Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 19 June 2025
President Donald Trump’s trade war and recession fears have roiled markets and weighed on the dollar, which is down about 9% this year.
—Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 19 June 2025
Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
Afterward, Allie is all business, filming content for Upward and interviewing a steady stream of creators about their experiences with Recapture and how it’s changed their lives.
—Avery Stone, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025
R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
And can answering that help to uncover some wayward finishers who could soon be about to click into a more clinical gear?
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for about
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adverb
The 21-year-old Tenafly native flew from Israel to the U.S., landing on Thursday, about one month after his May 12 release from captivity in Gaza.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 19 June 2025
President Donald Trump’s trade war and recession fears have roiled markets and weighed on the dollar, which is down about 9% this year.
—Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 19 June 2025
Preposition
Secretary Kristi Noem's news conference about the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting areas with high immigrant populations and labor-intensive industries.
—Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
Afterward, Allie is all business, filming content for Upward and interviewing a steady stream of creators about their experiences with Recapture and how it’s changed their lives.
—Avery Stone, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025
Adjective
Lucy always looked up to me as a successful single father, raising two daughters on my own, my other being 17 now and about to enter her senior year in high school.
—R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
And can answering that help to uncover some wayward finishers who could soon be about to click into a more clinical gear?
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for about
Cite this Entry
“About.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/about. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
about
1 of 2 adverb1
: on all sides : around
wander about
people standing about
2
a
: reasonably close to : approximately, nearly
about three years
about ready to go
b
: on the verge of
is about to go home
3
: in the opposite direction
face about
about
2 of 2 preposition1
: on every side of : around
houses about the lake
2
a
b
: in the possession of
had no pencil about her
c
: in the control of
keeps her wits about her
3
: in the act or process of doing
do it well while you're about it
4
: having to do with : concerning
tell me about it
a book about birds
5
: over or in different parts of
traveled about the country
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