about

1 of 3

adverb

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 determination
not 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

about

2 of 3

preposition

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 aboutT. S. Matthews
4
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
5
: over or in different parts of
He traveled about the country.

about

3 of 3

adjective

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
Adverb
Weatherly has been working elections for about nine years now in two municipalities. John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, 28 Oct. 2024 That camp is about three-and-half miles southeast of the scene of the first triple shooting. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024
Preposition
And in response to a question from reporters about whether Ukraine should cede land to Russia to end the war, Trump did not answer directly. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 17 Oct. 2024 What can anybody say about Donald Trump that hasn’t already been said? James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Breaking up with your gym or streaming service is about to get a little easier. Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024 One Direction were a new band, and Liam Payne was about to turn 19. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for about 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'about.' 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 abuten, aboute, going back to Old English abūtan, abūton, from a- a- entry 1 + būtan "outside, without" — more at but entry 1

Preposition

Middle English, going back to Old English abūtan, derivative of abūtan about entry 1

Adjective

Middle English, derivative of about about entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of about was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near about

Cite this Entry

“About.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/about. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

about

1 of 2 adverb
1
: 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 preposition
1
: on every side of : around
houses about the lake
2
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

More from Merriam-Webster on about

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