what about

idiom

1
: does that include (someone) : how about (someone)
"We're all going to the beach." "What about Kenny?"
2
: how does that affect (someone or something) : what should be done about (someone or something)
"I need to leave—something has come up." "What about the meeting?" "We'll have to reschedule it."
What about the people who can't afford health insurance?
3
used to make a suggestion about what could be done
We'll need to talk about this again. What about (meeting) next week?
There's still time. What about playing another game?
4
used to ask someone to tell one something in response to the thing that one has just said
I like skiing and hiking. What about you? What sports do you like?
Everyone else is coming. What about you?

Examples of what about in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Search engines such as Google have free request forms to excise them from a name search, but what about a face search? WIRED, 20 Sep. 2023 But what about the cruel swindle of the slave trade, and of imperial domination? Lynn Steger Strong, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023 The camp may have squeaked by this summer, but what about next year? Dan Stahl, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2023 Caterpillars are clearly important, but what about the aphids eating the hellebores on my porch? Emily Underwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Sep. 2023 Electric vehicles should help too — but what about union jobs building gasoline vehicles? Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2023 But what about someone struggling to pay the rent or put food on the table? Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 18 Sep. 2023 But what about Me & My Phone? When an adult child rips a family apart The Power of Today: A message from the funeral of John Adams Does sports gambling impact the joy of sports? Terry Pluto, cleveland, 16 Sep. 2023 But what about those early years, which can’t be covered by a 529 college savings plan? Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023 See More

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

Dictionary Entries Near what about

Cite this Entry

“What about.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/what%20about. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!