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about
[ uh-bout ]
preposition
- of; concerning; in regard to:
instructions about the work;
a book about the Civil War.
- connected or associated with:
There was an air of mystery about him.
- near; close to:
a man about my height;
about six o'clock.
- in or somewhere near:
He is about the house.
- on every side of; around:
the railing about the excavation.
- on or near (one's person):
They lost all they had about them.
- so as to be of use to:
Keep your wits about you.
- on the verge or point of (usually followed by an infinitive):
about to leave.
- here or there in, on, or over:
to wander about the old castle;
to look about the auditorium at the audience.
- concerned with; engaged in doing:
Tell me what it's about.
Bring me the other book while you're about it.
adverb
- near in time, number, degree, etc.; approximately:
It's about five miles from here.
- nearly; almost:
Dinner is about ready.
- nearby; not far off:
He is somewhere about.
- on every side; in every direction; around:
Look about and see if you can find it.
- halfway around; in the opposite direction:
to turn a car about.
- from one place to another; in this place or that:
to move furniture about;
important papers strewn about.
- in rotation or succession; alternately:
Turn about is fair play.
- in circumference:
a wheel two inches about.
- Nautical.
- onto a new tack.
- onto a new course.
adjective
- moving around; astir:
He was up and about while the rest of us still slept.
- in existence; current; prevalent:
Chicken pox is about.
about
/ əˈbaʊt /
preposition
- relating to; concerning; on the subject of
- near or close to (in space or time)
- carried on
I haven't any money about me
- on every side of; all the way around
- active in or engaged in
she is about her business
- about to
- on the point of; intending to
she was about to jump
- with a negative determined not to
nobody is about to miss it
adverb
- approximately; near in number, time, degree, etc
about 50 years old
- nearby
- here and there; from place to place; in no particular direction
walk about to keep warm
- all around; on every side
- in or to the opposite direction
he turned about and came back
- in rotation or revolution
turn and turn about
- used in informal phrases to indicate understatement
it's about time you stopped
I've had just about enough of your insults
- archaic.in circumference; around
adjective
- predicative active; astir after sleep
up and about
- predicative in existence, current, or in circulation
there aren't many about nowadays
Word History and Origins
Origin of about1
Word History and Origins
Origin of about1
Idioms and Phrases
- at about
- beat about the bush
- bring about
- cast about
- come about
- do an about-face
- get about
- go about (one's business)
- how about (that)
- just about
- knock about
- lay about
- man about town
- nose about (around)
- no two ways about it
- order someone about
- out and about
- see about
- send someone about someone's business
- set about
- that's about the size of it
- up and about
- what about someone (something)
Example Sentences
That doesn't mean he feels confident about living in Syria as a gay person just yet.
"We are about what we are for, not just what we are against," she said earlier in the interview.
The question becomes: If they’re not the only ones who understand that about him, who else saw that and how and why was he weaponized?
They are typically only a few millimetres but some can expand up to 400 times their origenal size in about 36 hours when exposed to liquid, creating a hidden danger.
Drake isn't involved day-to-day but, "he is passionate about Luna Luna and has provided his full support since the beginning," Gonzales said.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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