about
pronunciation
How to pronounce about in British English:
UK [əˈbaʊt]
How to pronounce about in American English:
US [əˈbaʊt]
-
- Adjective:
- on the move
-
- Adverb:
- (of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
- all around or on all sides
- in the area or vicinity
- to or among many different places or in no particular direction
- in or to a reversed position or direction
- in rotation or succession
- (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; `near' is sometimes used informally for `nearly' and `most' is sometimes used informally for `almost'
Word Origin
- about
- about: [OE] About in Old English times meant ‘around the outside of’; it did not develop its commonest present-day meaning, ‘concerning’, until the 13th century. In its earliest incarnation it was onbūtan, a compound made up of on and būtan ‘outside’ (this is the same word as modern English but, which was itself originally a compound, formed from the ancestors of by and out – so broken down into its ultimate constituents, about is on by out).=> but, by, out
- about (adv.)
- Old English abutan, earlier onbutan "on the outside of," from on (see on; also see a- (1)) + be "by" (see by) + utan "outside," from ut (see out (adv.)). By 13c. it had forced out Old English ymbe, ymbutan for meaning "in the neighborhood of." Abouts, with adverbial genitive, still found in hereabouts, etc., probably is a northern dialectal form. About face as a military command (short for right about face) is first attested 1861, American English.
Synonym
Example
- 1. The answer was about 30 .
- 2. I am curious about varna .
- 3. Legal fees can run about $ 4000 .
- 4. He seemed embarrassed about dying .
- 5. Change your attitude about failure .