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
Andrew Carey and Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
Ideally, most types of grass can get by with about a tenth of an inch of rain per day.
—Renny Vandewege, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Terina Allen, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
At the time, the attacks sparked nationwide outrage, igniting protests and debates about the country’s judicial system.
—Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
Billboard Japan, Billboard, 10 Apr. 2025
The family has been spotted touring colleges since George is about to enroll into a new school.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for about
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adverb
In fact, Britain’s Ministry of Defence, in common with other analysts, assesses Russia’s rate of advance to have been in steady decline for six months, from about 730 square kilometers captured in November last year to just 143 last month.
—Andrew Carey and Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
Ideally, most types of grass can get by with about a tenth of an inch of rain per day.
—Renny Vandewege, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Preposition
Delegating is about giving your employees a time to learn, to grow, to shine and to expand while also helping to lighten your load and achieve organizational goals.
—Terina Allen, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
At the time, the attacks sparked nationwide outrage, igniting protests and debates about the country’s judicial system.
—Dyepkazah Shibayan, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Ado is also about to kick off an unprecedented tour that will take her to 33 cities around the world and draw over 500,000 fans, the biggest global trek by a Japanese artist ever.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 10 Apr. 2025
The family has been spotted touring colleges since George is about to enroll into a new school.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 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 15 Apr. 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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