about

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See also:à bout

English

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abouton Wikipedia

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Preposition and adverb fromMiddle Englishaboute,abouten,fromOld Englishabūtan,[1]onbūtan,fromon(“in, on”)+‎būtan(“outside of”),[2]itself frombe(“by”)+‎ūtan(“outside”).[3]Cognate withOld Frisianabûta(“outside; except”).

Adjective fromMiddle Englishabout(adverb).

Pronunciation

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Preposition

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about

  1. In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of.[from before 1150][2]
    The snake was coiledabouthis ankle.
    • c.1604–1605(date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,(please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
      So lookaboutyou; know you any here?
    • 1769,King James Bible,Oxford Standard text,Proverbs,iii, 3
      Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind themaboutthy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
    • 1886,Duncan Keith,A history of Scotland: civil and ecclesiastical from the earliest times to the death of David I, 1153,volume 1:
      Nothing daunted, the fleet put to sea, and after sailingaboutthe island for some time, a landing was effected in the west of Munster.
    • 1892,James Yoxall,chapter 5, inThe Lonely Pyramid:
      The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom.[…]Roaring, leaping, pouncing, the tempest ragedaboutthe wanderers, drowning and blotting out their forms with sandy spume.
  2. Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.[from ca. 1150–1350][2]
    Rubbish was strewnaboutthe place.
    The children were runningaboutthe room.
    He was well knownabouttown.
  3. Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something.
    1. (with 'to' and verb infinitive)Seeabout to.
    2. (with present participle,obsoleteordialect)On the point or verge of.
      • 1866,Charles Daniel Drake,A treatise on the law of suits by attachment in the United States,page80:
        [It] was held, that the latter requirement was fulfilled by an affidavit declaring that "the defendant wasaboutleaving the State permanently. "
  4. Concerning;with regard to; on account of; on the subject of; to affect.[from ca. 1150–1350][2]
    Synonyms:apropos,as for;see alsoThesaurus:about
    He talked a lotabouthis childhood.
    We must do somethingaboutthis problem.
    • 1671,John Milton,Samson Agonistes:
      I already have made way / To some Philistian lords, with whom to treat /Aboutthy ransom.
    • 1856,Voltaire,Philosophical dictionary:
      There have been violent quarrels aboutwhetherthe whole is greater than a part.
    • 1860,Anthony Trollope,Framley Parsonage:
      "I'll tell you what, Fanny: she must have her wayaboutSarah Thompson. You can see her to-morrow and tell her so. "
    • 1913,Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln,chapter IV, inMr. Pratt’s Patients,New York, N.Y., London:D[aniel] Appleton and Company,→OCLC:
      I told himabouteverything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.
    • 2013June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”,inThe Economist,volume407,number8841,page70:
      Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs areabout,they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.
    • 2016,VOA Learning English(public domain)
      Well, let’s not talkaboutyesterday.
      Audio(US):(file)
  5. Concernedwith; engaged in;intenton.[from ca. 1150–1350][2]
    to beaboutone’s business
    Have you much hayabout?(Chester)―Have you much in the process of making?[4]
    “What’s Mary doin'?” “Oh! oo’saboutth’ butter.”(Chester)―“What’s Mary doing?” “Oh, she’s making the butter.”[4]
    • 1769,King James Bible,Oxford Standard text,Luke,ii, 49
      And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must beaboutmy Father's business?
    • 2013March 14,Parks and Recreation,season 5, episode 16,Bailout:
      RON: And I’ll have the number 8.
      WAITER: That’s a party platter, it serves 12 people.
      RON: I know what I’mabout,son.
  6. Within or in theimmediateneighborhoodof; incontiguityorproximityto; near, as to place.[from ca. 1350–1470][2]
    I can’t find my reading glasses, but they must be somewhereaboutthe house.
    John’s in the garden, probably somewhereaboutthe woodshed.
  7. On one’s person; nearby the person.[from ca. 1350–1470][2]
    I had no weaponaboutme but a stick.
    • 1837,[Edward Bulwer-Lytton],Ernest Maltravers[…],volume I, London: Saunders and Otley,[…],→OCLC,book I,page16:
      At this assurance the traveller rose, and approached Alice softly. He drew away her hands from her face, when she said gently, "Have you much moneyaboutyou? "/" Oh the mercenary baggage! "said the traveller to himself; and then replied aloud," Why, pretty one?—Do you sell your kisses so high, then? "
  8. (figurative)In or near, as in mental facultiesor(literally)in the possession of; under the control of; at one's command; in one's makeup.[from ca. 1350–1470][2]
    He has his witsabouthim.
    There was an air of confidenceaboutthe woman.
    • 1897December (indicated as1898),Winston Churchill,chapter II, inThe Celebrity: An Episode,New York, N.Y.:The Macmillan Company;London:Macmillan & Co., Ltd.,→OCLC:
      Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.[…]A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes.[…]But withal there was a perceptible acumenaboutthe man which was puzzling in the extreme.

Usage notes

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  • (Indicates that something will happen very soon):In modern English, always followed by an infinitive that begins withto( "I am about to bathe" ); seeabout to.In the past, it was possible to instead follow theaboutwith the present participle ( "I am about swimming" ), but this format is no longer used or widely understood.
  • (concerning):Used as a function word to indicate what is dealt with as the object of thought, feeling, or action.

Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Adverb

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about(notcomparable)

  1. On all sides; around.[from before 1150[2]]
    I lookedaboutat the scenery that surrounded me.
  2. Here and there;around; in one place and another; up and down.[from before 1150[2]]
    Bits of old machinery were lyingabout.
  3. From one place or position to another in succession;indicating repeated movement or activity.
    walkingabout;  rushingabout;  jumpingabout;  thrashingabout
    • 1769,King James Bible,Oxford Standard text,1 Timothy,v,13,
      And withal they learn to be idle, wanderingaboutfrom house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
    • 1907August,Robert W[illiam] Chambers,chapter IX, inThe Younger Set,New York, N.Y.:D. Appleton & Company,→OCLC:
      He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a sponson canoe when Gerald was there for the weekend; or, when Lansing came down, the two took long swims seaward or cruisedaboutin Gerald's dory, clad in their swimming-suits; and Selwyn's youth became renewed in a manner almost ridiculous,[…].
  4. Indicating unproductive or unstructured activity.
    messingabout;  foolingabout;  loafingabout
  5. Nearly;approximately;with closecorrespondencein quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time;almost.[from before 1150[2]]
    It’saboutas cold as it was last winter.
    He owes meaboutthree hundred dollars.
    Dinner’saboutready.
    I was so scared, Iaboutfainted.
    • c.1590–1591(date written),William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,(please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
      Therefore I know she isaboutmy height.
    • 1769,King James Bible,Oxford Standard text,Matthew,xx, 3,
      And he went outaboutthe third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace
    • 1769,King James Bible,Oxford Standard text,Exodus,ix, 18
      Behold, to morrowaboutthis time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.
    • 1769,King James Bible,Oxford Standard text,Exodus,xxxii,28:
      And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that dayaboutthree thousand men.
    • 1907August,Robert W[illiam] Chambers,chapter IX, inThe Younger Set,New York, N.Y.:D. Appleton & Company,→OCLC:
      “Heavens!” exclaimed Nina, “the blue-stocking and the fogy!—and yoursarepale blue, Eileen!—you’reaboutas self-conscious as Drina—slumping there with your hair tumblingà laMérode! Oh, it's very picturesque, of course, but a straight spine and good grooming is better.[…]”
    • 1913,Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln,chapter IV, inMr. Pratt’s Patients,New York, N.Y., London:D[aniel] Appleton and Company,→OCLC:
      I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He askedaboutsix questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.
    • 2013July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”,inThe Economist,volume408,number8845:
      [The researchers] noticed many of their pieces of [plastic marine] debris sported surface pits around two microns across. Such pits areaboutthe size of a bacterial cell. Closer examination showed that some of these pits did, indeed, contain bacteria,[…].
  6. Near;in thevicinity.[from ca. 1350–1470[2]]
  7. To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view.[from ca. 1350–1470[2]]
    to faceabout;  to turn oneselfabout
    1. (nautical)To the oppositetack:seego about.[from late 15th c.[2]]
      We wentaboutand headed offshore.
  8. (obsoleteorrare)Insuccession;one after another; in the course of events.[from before 1150[2]]
    • 1818,James Hogg, published inThe Scots Magazine,Vol. 86, p. 218, "On the Life and Writings of James Hogg"[1][Quoted in the OED]
      When he had finished, he drew his plaid around his head, and went slowly down to the little dell, where he used every day to offer up his morning and evening prayers, and where we have often sat together on Sabbath afternoons, reading verseaboutwith our children in the Bible.
  9. (archaic)In circuit;circularly;by acircuitousway; around the outside; incircumference.[from ca. 1350–1470[2]]
    The island was a mileabout,and a third of a mile across.

Synonyms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Adjective

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about(notcomparable)

  1. Moving around;astir.
    out andabout;  up andabout
    After my bout with Guillan-Barre Syndrome, it took me 6 months to be up andaboutagain.
  2. In existence; being in evidence;apparent.
    This idea has beenaboutfor a while but has only recently become fashionable.
    • 1975,IPC Building & Contract Journals Ltd,Highways & road construction,volume43:
      To my mind, transportation engineering is similar to flying in the 1930s — it has beenaboutfor some time but it has taken the present economic jolt to shake it out of its infancy, in the same way that the war started the development of flying to its current stage.
    • 2005,IDG Communications,Digit,numbers89-94:
      Although it has beenaboutfor some time now, I like the typeface Sauna.
    • 2006,Great Britain Parliament: House of Lords Science and Technology Committee,Energy: Meeting With Malcolm Wicks MP,
      Is not this sudden interest in capturing CO2— and it has beenaboutfor a little while — simply another hidey-hole for the government to creep into?
  3. Near; in the vicinity or neighbourhood.
    I had my keys just a minute ago, so they must beaboutsomewhere.
    Watch out, there's a thiefabout.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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terms derived fromabout (any part of speech)

See also:Category:English phrasal verbs formed with "about"

References

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  1. ^Philip Babcock Gove (editor),Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged(G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909],→ISBN), page 5
  2. ↑2.002.012.022.032.042.052.062.072.082.092.102.112.122.132.142.15Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “about”, inThe Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles,5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.:Oxford University Press,→ISBN,page 7.
  3. ^Christine A. Lindberg, editor (2002), “about”, inThe Oxford College Dictionary,2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: Spark Publishing,→ISBN,page 4.
  4. ↑4.04.1Robert Holland, M.R.A.C.,A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Chester,Part I--A to F., English Dialect Society, London, 1884, 2

Anagrams

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Finnish

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowingfromEnglishabout

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key):/ˈøbɑut/,[ˈø̞bɑ̝ut̪]
  • IPA(key):/ˈəbɑu̯t/,[ˈəbɑ̝u̯t̪]
  • IPA(key):/ˈɑbɑut/,[ˈɑ̝bɑ̝ut̪]

Adverb

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about(slang)

  1. about(around, approximately, roughly)
    Synonyms:noin,suunnilleen

French

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Noun

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aboutm(pluralabouts)

  1. (technical)theextremityof a metallic or woodenelementor piece

Further reading

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Anagrams

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