About About

Defined as a preposition

1. : in a circle around : on every side of : around
2. a : in the immediate neighborhood of : near b : on or near the person of c : in the makeup of d : at the command of
3. : engaged in
4. a : with regard to : concerning b : concerned with c : fundamentally concerned with or directed toward
5. : over or in different parts of

Defined as an adverb

1. a : reasonably close to b : almost c : on the verge of —usually used with be and a following infinitive —used with a negative to express intention or determination
2. : on all sides : around
3. a : in rotation b : around the outside
4. : here and there
5. : in the vicinity : near
6. : in the opposite direction See about defined for English-language learners

Examples of "about"

• 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.
• This is an About page.

Origin of "about" Middle English, from Old English abūtan, from 1a- + būtan outside — more at but

First Known Use: before 12th century

Synonyms: around, round
Antonyms: exactly, precisely

from Merriam-Webster