about

Adjective Satellite

• on the move
  • "up and about"

Adverb

• Approximately; on the subject of.
• (of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
  • "in just about a minute"
  • "he's about 30 years old"
  • "I've had about all I can stand"
  • "we meet about once a month"
• all around or on all sides
  • "dirty clothes lying around (or about)"
  • "let's look about for help"
• in the area or vicinity
  • "a few spectators standing about"
• used of movement to or among many different places or in no particular direction
  • "wandering about with no place to go"
  • "people were rushing about"
  • "news gets around (or about)"
• in or to a reversed position or direction
  • "about face"
• in rotation or succession
  • "turn about is fair play"
• (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
  • "the job is (just) about done"

Prep

• In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of; around.
• Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.
• Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something.
• See about to.
• Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something.
• On the point or verge of.
• Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of.
• 2013 September 5, Simon Gray, The Complete Smoking Diaries, Granta Books, →ISBN
• 2013 September 5, Simon Gray, The Complete Smoking Diaries, Granta Books, →ISBN: ... look at it properly, her hands are the worst thing about her, visibly, anyway - they're filthy, as are the fingernails, broken and jagged and dark yellow from nicotine, the nicotine stain seems to go right into the palm[…]
• ... look at it properly, her hands are the worst thing about her, visibly, anyway - they're filthy, as are the fingernails, broken and jagged and dark yellow from nicotine, the nicotine stain seems to go right into the palm[…]
• 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
• 2016 October 14, David J. Leonard, Kimberly B. George, Wade Davis, Football, Culture and Power, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 187
• 2016 October 14, David J. Leonard, Kimberly B. George, Wade Davis, Football, Culture and Power, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 187: [F]ootball is about more than making plays on the field. It is about making them off the field as well. Our commitment to fans and the communities that support us does not end when the final seconds tick off the game clock
• [F]ootball is about more than making plays on the field. It is about making them off the field as well. Our commitment to fans and the communities that support us does not end when the final seconds tick off the game clock
• 2021 October 7, Erica S. Simmons, Nicholas Rush Smith, Rethinking Comparison: Innovative Methods for Qualitative Political Inquiry, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 272
• 2021 October 7, Erica S. Simmons, Nicholas Rush Smith, Rethinking Comparison: Innovative Methods for Qualitative Political Inquiry, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 272: ... something particularly imaginative about comparative work, however one construes the term “comparison.”[…]
• ... something particularly imaginative about comparative work, however one construes the term “comparison.”[…]
• Concerned or occupied with; engaged in; intent on.
• Within or in the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place.
• On one’s person; nearby the person.
• On or near (one's person); attached as an attribute to; in the makeup of, or at the command of.

Adv

• On all sides, or in every or any direction from a point; around.
• Here and there; around; in one place and another; up and down.
• From one place or position to another in succession; indicating repeated movement or activity.
• Indicating unproductive or unstructured activity.
• Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence in quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time; almost.
• Near; in the vicinity.
• To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view.
• To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view.
• To the opposite tack: see go about.
• In succession; one after another; in the course of events.
• In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; in circumference.

Adj

• Moving around or in motion; astir.
• In existence; being in evidence; apparent.
• Near; in the vicinity or neighbourhood.

Verb

• To change the course of (a ship) to the other tack; to bring (a ship) about.
• To about-face (turn 180 degrees, like a soldier).

Examples

• After my bout with Guillan-Barre Syndrome, it took me 6 months to be up and about again.
• Bits of old machinery were lying about.
• Dinner’s about ready.
• Have you much hay about?
• He has his wits about him.
• He is very mad about all the pranks.
• He owes me about three hundred dollars.
• He talked a lot about his childhood.
• He was well known about town.
• I am about to win this Scrabble game with one final, brilliant word.
• I can’t find my reading glasses, but they must be somewhere about the house.
• I had my keys just a minute ago, so they must be about somewhere.
• I had no weapon about me but a stick.
• I looked about at the scenery that surrounded me.
• I was so scared, I about fainted.
• It’s about as cold as it was last winter.
• I’ll see you at about 4 o'clock.
• John’s in the garden, probably somewhere about the woodshed.
• just going about their business
• messing about;  fooling about;  loafing about
• out and about;  up and about
• Rubbish was strewn about the place.
• The children were running about the room.
• The island was a mile about, and a third of a mile across.
• The policy covers all belongings and other personal things that somebody can carry about them.
• The snake was coiled about his ankle.
• There was an air of confidence about the woman.
• This idea has been about for a while but has only recently become fashionable.
• to face about;  to turn oneself about
• walking about;  rushing about;  jumping about;  thrashing about
• Watch out, there's a thief about.
• We must do something about this problem.
• We went about and headed offshore.
• “What’s Mary doin'?” “Oh! oo’s about th’ butter.”

Synonyms

almost, approximately, around, astir, close to, just about, more or less, most, near, nearly, nigh, or so, roughly, some, virtually, well-nigh, IRT, WRT, about, active, anent, apropos, as for, as regards, as respects, as to, concerned with, concerning, connected with, dealing with, in reference to, in regard to, in regards to, in relation to, in respect of, in terms of, mobile, on, re, referring to, regarding, relating to, relative to, respecting, touching, with regard to, with respect to

Antonyms

by the by, by the way, in passing, irrespective of, malapropos, regardless of

Anagrams of about