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
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2025
In the 450 main event, Jett Lawrence won the race just about 2.4 seconds ahead of Ken Roczen.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
Chris Papst, Baltimore Sun, 28 Jan. 2025
Barkley has always been candid about his love for his family.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Philip Elliott, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025
His partner of five years, Min (Han Gi-Chan), is the scion of a Korean multinational corporation, in the U.S. on a student visa that’s about to expire, just as his work in textile art is starting to get attention.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 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.
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Adverb
Swift arrived about 90 minutes before kickoff, sauntering down the tunnel to her usual VIP suite.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2025
In the 450 main event, Jett Lawrence won the race just about 2.4 seconds ahead of Ken Roczen.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
Preposition
Is Baltimore County Public Schools intentionally omitting important information about the upcoming budget in its messaging to taxpayers?
—Chris Papst, Baltimore Sun, 28 Jan. 2025
Barkley has always been candid about his love for his family.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
That unusual situation is about to get more complicated, now that a second app that poses a similar threat to U.S. security interests this week hit the top of Apple’s downloads.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025
His partner of five years, Min (Han Gi-Chan), is the scion of a Korean multinational corporation, in the U.S. on a student visa that’s about to expire, just as his work in textile art is starting to get attention.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 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 1 Feb. 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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