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 determinationnot 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
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 about …—
T. S. Matthews
T. S. Matthews4
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
David Mamet5
: over or in different parts of
He traveled about the country.
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
Auzinea Bacon, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
Search and recovery diving instructor Juan Heredia, founder of the nonprofit Angels Recovery Dive Team, found Dane after a two-hour dive in the frigid waters of the Siletz River in Lincoln County, Ore., about three miles downstream from the boy’s home, per CNN.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Mark Davis, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
While critics were fairly positive about the album, audiences weren’t as enthusiastic.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Traveling nonstop from Waukegan to Chicago’s Loop or downtown Milwaukee for as little as $10 while reclining in a leather seat on a luxury bus is about to become a reality this summer.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for about
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adverb
Pressuring Musk Musk, the world’s richest man, owns about 411 million shares of Tesla, or about 13%, and has lost most of the gains the company saw in December.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
Search and recovery diving instructor Juan Heredia, founder of the nonprofit Angels Recovery Dive Team, found Dane after a two-hour dive in the frigid waters of the Siletz River in Lincoln County, Ore., about three miles downstream from the boy’s home, per CNN.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Preposition
But every day now is about defending our independence, our state, and our people.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
While critics were fairly positive about the album, audiences weren’t as enthusiastic.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The pop musician is also about to step behind the camera for her upcoming short film Brighter Days Ahead.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Traveling nonstop from Waukegan to Chicago’s Loop or downtown Milwaukee for as little as $10 while reclining in a leather seat on a luxury bus is about to become a reality this summer.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for about
Cite this Entry
“About.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/about. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
about
1 of 2 adverb1
: 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 preposition1
: on every side of : around
houses about the lake
2
a
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
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