about

Meaning

Prep

1. In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of.
2. Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.
3. Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something.
4. (obsolete) Indicates that something will happen very soon; indicates a plan or intention to do something.
5. Concerning; with regard to; on account of; on the subject of; to affect.
6. Concerned with; engaged in; intent on.
7. Within or in the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place.
8. On one’s person; nearby the person.
9. In or near, as in mental faculties or (literally) in the possession of; under the control of; at one's command; in one's makeup.

Adv

1. On all sides; around.
2. Here and there; around; in one place and another; up and down.
3. From one place or position to another in succession; indicating repeated movement or activity.
4. Indicating unproductive or unstructured activity.
5. Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence in quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time; almost.
6. Near; in the vicinity.
7. To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view.
8. To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view.
9. (obsolete) In succession; one after another; in the course of events.
10. In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; in circumference.

Adj

1. Moving around; astir.
2. In existence; being in evidence; apparent.
3. Near; in the vicinity or neighbourhood.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/əˈbaʊt/

Etymology

Preposition and adverb from Middle English aboute, abouten, from Old English abūtan, onbūtan, from on (“in, on”) + būtan (“outside of”), itself from be (“by”) + ūtan (“outside”). Cognate with Old Frisian abûta (“outside; except”).
Adjective from Middle English about (adverb).

Sentences

What do you know about that ?

It came about in this way .

For about six years I managed to control myself .

The sun thought about that , and decided to shine more brightly .

More information about this can be found in the modification section of this article .

Matthew had questions about his ancestry and ended up meeting his biological father .

About eleven , I walked back to my home in Maybury because nothing seemed to be happening .

They provided warnings about thieves and barbarian tribes .