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
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Lau spent two hours taking about 20 photographs of the waters.
—Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 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
Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the bitcoin price could be about to rebound toward $90,000, according to 10x Research founder Markus Thielen, who has predicted a combination of Trump’s softening of tariffs and an increasingly dovish Fed is setting bitcoin up for a recovery.
—Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 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
Though the country received about 3.5 million stay over and cruise visitors from the U.S. last year, officials believe the number would be higher, if not for the travel advisory.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
Lau spent two hours taking about 20 photographs of the waters.
—Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 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
Illusory Women’s Striped Cardigan $60 $18 at Amazon This striped cardigan is about to become the spring essential.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, the bitcoin price could be about to rebound toward $90,000, according to 10x Research founder Markus Thielen, who has predicted a combination of Trump’s softening of tariffs and an increasingly dovish Fed is setting bitcoin up for a recovery.
—Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 29 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 4 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share