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.
Synonyms
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
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 14 Jan. 2025
From 1942 to 1964, about 4 million Mexican men got jobs as farmworkers in California and other Western states.
—Gabrielle Clark, The Conversation, 14 Jan. 2025
London Business School, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
This film is about a group of best friends taking a two-week motorcycle ride across America while recording one final major label album.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 15 Jan. 2025
Lucinda Shen, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
And by 2022, as Mzimba was about to be featured in the full-length documentary Rhino Man, the offers from poachers had turned to death threats.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for about 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adverb
Pandion raised about $125 million in equity over the last five years.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 14 Jan. 2025
From 1942 to 1964, about 4 million Mexican men got jobs as farmworkers in California and other Western states.
—Gabrielle Clark, The Conversation, 14 Jan. 2025
Preposition
Quarterly earnings frequently overshadow deeper questions about ecological thresholds, broader planetary boundaries, or social consequences.
—London Business School, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
This film is about a group of best friends taking a two-week motorcycle ride across America while recording one final major label album.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Nilus also takes these cash management policies into account, raising a flag when a company is about to fail its own checks and balances — or when those checks and balances are inadequate.
—Lucinda Shen, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
And by 2022, as Mzimba was about to be featured in the full-length documentary Rhino Man, the offers from poachers had turned to death threats.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for about
Dictionary Entries Near about
Cite this Entry
“About.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/about. Accessed 20 Jan. 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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