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Definition of 'about'

Word Frequency

about

(əbaʊt )
In addition to the uses shown below, about is used after some verbs, nouns, and adjectives to introduce extra information. About is also often used after verbs of movement, such as 'walk' and 'drive', and in phrasal verbs such as 'mess about' and 'set about', especially in British English.
1. preposition
You use about to introduce who or what something relates to or concerns.
She came in for a coffee, and told me about her friend Shona.
She knew a lot about food.
The neighbours complained about the noise.
...advice about exercise and diet.
Synonyms: regarding, on, re, concerning   More Synonyms of about
2. preposition
When you mention the things that an activity or institution is about, you are saying what it involves or what its aims are.
Leadership is about the ability to implement change.
3. preposition
You use about after some adjectives to indicate the person or thing that a feeling or state of mind relates to.
'I'm sorry about Patrick,' she said.
I feel so guilty and angry about the whole issue.
4. preposition
If you do something about a problem, you take action in order to solve it.
Rachel was going to do something about Jacob.
Of course there may be some problems you can't do anything about.
5. preposition
When you say that there is a particular quality about someone or something, you mean that they have this quality.
There was a warmth and passion about him I never knew existed.
I think there's something a little peculiar about the results of your test.
6. adverb
About is used in front of a number to show that the number is not exact.
In my local health centre there's about forty parking spaces.
The rate of inflation is running at about 2.7 percent.
Synonyms: approximately, around, almost, nearing   More Synonyms of about
7. adverb [ADVERB after verb]
If someone or something moves about, they keep moving in different directions.
Everyone was running about.
About is also a preposition.
He wandered about the town stopping to listen to bands.
His hair was drifting about his shoulders like dirty snow.
8. preposition
If you put something about a person or thing, you put it around them.
Helen threw her arms about him.
She was elegantly dressed with a double strand of pearls about her neck.
Synonyms: round, around   More Synonyms of about
9. adjective [verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If someone or something is about, they are present or available.
There's lots of money about these days for schemes like this.
Synonyms: around, present, active, stirring   More Synonyms of about
10. 
be about to
11.  how about
12.  what about
13.  just about
14. 
out and about
15. 
out and about
More Synonyms of about
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Video: pronunciation of 'about'

Word Frequency

about in British

(əˈbaʊt )
preposition
1. 
relating to; concerning; on the subject of
2. 
near or close to (in space or time)
3. 
carried on
I haven't any money about me
4. 
on every side of; all the way around
5. 
active in or engaged in
she is about her business
6.  about to
adverb
7. 
approximately; near in number, time, degree, etc
about 50 years old
8. 
nearby
9. 
here and there; from place to place; in no particular direction
walk about to keep warm
10. 
all around; on every side
11. 
in or to the opposite direction
he turned about and came back
12. 
in rotation or revolution
turn and turn about
13. 
used in informal phrases to indicate understatement
I've had just about enough of your insults
it's about time you stopped
14. archaic
in circumference; around
adjective
15. (predicative)
active; astir after sleep
up and about
16. (predicative)
in existence, current, or in circulation
there aren't many about nowadays
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'about'
Old English abūtan, onbūtan on the outside of, around, from on + būtan outside
Word Frequency

about in American

(əˈbaʊt ; əboutˈ)
adverb
1. 
on every side; all around
look about
2. 
here and there; in all directions
travel about
3. 
in circumference; around the outside
ten miles about
4. 
near
standing somewhere about
5. 
in the opposite direction; to a reversed position
turn it about
6. 
in succession or rotation
play fair—turn and turn about
7. 
nearly; approximately
about four years old
8.  Informal
all but; almost
about ready
adjective
9. 
astir; on the move
he is up and about again
10. 
in the vicinity; prevalent
typhoid is about
11. 
a. 
ready; likely immediately
followed by an infinitive
I was about to speak
b. 
willing or inclined
used with not and an infinitive
I'm not about to exercise regularly
preposition
12. 
around; on all sides of
13. 
here and there in; everywhere in
rambling about the town
14. 
near to in time or space
born about 1960, keeping my keys about me
15. 
concerned with; attending to
go about your business
16. 
on the subject of; concerning
a book about ships
17. 
in connection with; pertaining to
the most interesting thing about her
Idioms:
be what something is all about
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'about'
ME aboute(n) < OE onbūtan, around < on, on + be, by + ūtan, outside < ūt, out: all senses develop from the sense of “around”

Example sentences containing 'about'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
It is hard as a rugby player to talk about stuff like that. Times, Sunday Times (2016)But this could be about to turn on its head. The Sun (2016)This raises questions about whether the industry will pass on savings from planned action against whiplash claims. Times, Sunday Times (2016)It had begun about a week after he promised me it was only me he wanted. The Sun (2016)No one wants to know about that. Times, Sunday Times (2017)My advice is to think about why you keep cheating like this. The Sun (2016)We often hear about the work ethic of sportspeople. Times, Sunday Times (2017)What is this thing about being nostalgic? Times, Sunday Times (2016)The positive side is that you now feel you are a different person and you can do something about your life. The Sun (2016)They are just about holding on. The Sun (2016)What was it that she liked so much about his plays? Times, Sunday Times (2008)You might like to think about turning this around. Ingham, Christine Life Without Work (1994)But she was disqualified when doctors discovered something odd about her physiology. Christianity Today (2000)We need to keep our wits about us. The Sun (2011)What was the worst thing about being a footballer in your era? Times, Sunday Times (2009)Have a think about that nearer the time and let us know. Times, Sunday Times (2007)Now think about whether you have let that person know what it is you do want. Ingham, Christine Life Without Work (1994)Yet we barely know anything about these angry men. The Times Literary Supplement (2012)Ran lineout effectively and put himself about. Times, Sunday Times (2012) Think about how the place made you feel. Times, Sunday Times (2011)It was a most interesting group of passengers who milled about inside and around the tiny terminal. Eaton, John P & Haas, Charles A Titanic - Destination disaster (1987)What do you like most about your body? The Sun (2011)But he said that they had found something to laugh about. Times, Sunday Times (2011)Or perhaps worried about keeping precious digital files on a single smartphone or computer? Times, Sunday Times (2012)Celebrities often moan about being recognised in public. The Sun (2009)The great thing about her style is that she mixes the high street with designer wear. The Sun (2012)It is about whether a nation chooses to remember or to forget. Times, Sunday Times (2007)Wanting to know more about your birth dad is natural. The Sun (2015)Talk about looking after your own. The Sun (2014)Not that it's just about numbers. Times, Sunday Times (2007)While you watch, talk to your partner about what is turning you on and why. The Sun (2016)There was a large mushroom growing near her, about the same height as herself. Lewis Carroll Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)I felt like this about her after two months. The Sun (2015)

Trends of 'about'

Extremely Common. about is one of the 1000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

View usage for:

Translations for 'about'

British English: about /əˈbaʊt/ ADVERB
near to About means near to something.
His grandfather is about 80 years old.
  • American English: about
  • Arabic: حَوَالي
  • Brazilian Portuguese: aproximadamente
  • Chinese: 关于
  • Croatian: oko
  • Czech: kolem
  • Danish: omkring
  • Dutch: ongeveer
  • European Spanish: más o menos
  • Finnish: suunnilleen
  • French: autour de
  • German: ungefähr
  • Greek: περίπου
  • Italian: circa
  • Japanese: およそ
  • Korean: 대략
  • Norwegian: omkring
  • Polish: mniej więcej
  • European Portuguese: aproximadamente
  • Romanian: aproape
  • Russian: около
  • Spanish: más o menos
  • Swedish: omkring
  • Thai: ใกล้
  • Turkish: yaklaşık
  • Ukrainian: приблизно
  • Vietnamese: khoảng
British English: about /əˈbaʊt/ PREPOSITION
to do with About means to do with.
This book is about history.
  • American English: about
  • Arabic: عَنْ
  • Brazilian Portuguese: sobre
  • Chinese: 关于
  • Croatian: o
  • Czech: o
  • Danish: om
  • Dutch: over
  • European Spanish: acerca de
  • Finnish: NO TRANSLATION
  • French: à propos de
  • German: über
  • Greek: περί
  • Italian: su
  • Japanese: ・・・について
  • Korean: ...에 관하여
  • Norwegian: om
  • Polish: o
  • European Portuguese: sobre
  • Romanian: despre
  • Russian: о
  • Spanish: acerca de
  • Swedish: om
  • Thai: เกี่ยวกับ
  • Turkish: hakkında
  • Ukrainian: про
  • Vietnamese: về liên quan đến

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Nearby words of 'about'

  • aboulia
  • aboulic
  • abound
  • about
  • about time
  • about to
  • about turn

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'A'

Related Terms of 'about'

  • about to
  • get about
  • go about
  • how about
  • how about?

  • View more related words

Source

Definition of about from the Collins English Dictionary

May and might

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Scrabble score for 'about': 7
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