about

preposition
UK: /əˈbaʊt/
US: /əˈbaʊt/

  1. Relating to; concerning.

    1. I was just thinking about her. [ ] [ ]
    2. The book is about the history of the region and its cultural significance. [ ] [ ]

  2. In connection with; regarding.

    1. There's something I want to talk about. [ ] [ ]
    2. She was very concerned about the impact of the new regulations. [ ] [ ]

  3. Around; near.

    1. She walked about the town. [ ] [ ]
    2. There were people milling about in the lobby waiting for the show. [ ] [ ]

  4. Approximately.

    1. It costs about ten dollars. [ ] [ ]
    2. The project will take about three months to complete from start to finish. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

regarding concerning around near approximately almost
about adverb

  1. Approximately.

    1. He's about as tall as me. [ ] [ ]
    2. They are about ready to leave for their trip to the mountains. [ ] [ ]

  2. In or near; nearby.

    1. Is she about? [ ] [ ]
    2. There were newspapers lying about all over the floor this morning. [ ] [ ]

  3. In every direction.

    1. People were running about. [ ] [ ]
    2. The children were rushing about the playground during their recess. [ ] [ ]
about adjective

  1. On the verge of; going to.

    1. I was about to leave. [ ] [ ]
    2. The play was about to begin when the lights flickered dramatically. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "about" in English means: Relating to; concerning., In connection with; regarding., Around; near., Approximately..

The phonetic transcription of "about" is /əˈbaʊt/ in British English and /əˈbaʊt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "about": regarding, concerning, around, near, approximately, almost.

Example usage of "about": "I was just thinking about her.". More examples on the page.