whereabouts

1 of 3

adverb

where·​abouts ˈ(h)wer-ə-ˌbau̇ts 

variants or less commonly whereabout

ˈ(h)wer-ə-ˌbau̇t 

: 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.

Synonyms

Adverb

• where
• whither

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

An investigation revealed evidence of an effort by Trump to conceal the whereabouts of the documents, compounding the charges that Smith filed against him in federal court in Florida in the spring of 2023. —Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 15 July 2024

Police are asking anyone with information on the case or Morris’ whereabouts to contact the Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. —Raven Brunner, Peoplemag, 8 July 2024

The more data companies have about your whereabouts or your activities, the more risk that information could fall into the wrong hands or be used for unnerving advertising or to jack up your car insurance. —Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 28 June 2024

Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas did not respond to TIME’s request for comment, but asked anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts to contact local police on its social media page. —Solcyré Burga, TIME, 26 June 2024

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

Kids Definition

whereabouts

1 of 2 adverb

where·​abouts -ə-ˌbau̇ts 

variants also whereabout

-ˌbau̇t 

: about where

whereabouts is the house

whereabouts

2 of 2 plural or singular noun

: the place where a person or thing is

do you know their whereabouts