- a little more or less than; a little before or after synonym approximately
- It costs about $10.
- They waited (for) about an hour.
- He arrived (at) about ten.
Definitions on the go
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- nearly; very close to
- I'm just about ready.
- This is about the best we can hope for.
- (especially British English) in many directions; here and there
- The children were rushing about in the garden.
- (especially British English) in no particular order; in various places
- Her books were lying about on the floor.
- (especially British English) doing nothing in particular
- People were standing about in the road.
- (especially British English) able to be found in a place
- There was nobody about.
- There's a lot of flu about.
- She’s somewhere about—I saw her a few minutes ago.
- (specialist or formal) facing the opposite direction
- He brought the ship about.
Which Word? around / round / aboutaround / round / about- Around and round can often be used with the same meaning in British English, though around is more formal:
- The earth goes round/around the sun.
- They live round/around the corner.
- We travelled round/around India.
- She turned round/around when I came in.
- Around, round and about can also sometimes be used with the same meaning in British English:
- The kids were running around/round/about outside.
- I’ve been waiting around/round/about to see her all day.
- We left around/about 8 o’clock.
Word OriginOld English onbūtan, from on ‘in, on’ + būtan ‘outside of’ .
Idioms
See about in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee about in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishjust about (informal)
- almost; very nearly
- I've met just about everyone.
- ‘Did you reach your sales target?’ ‘Just about.’
- approximately
- She should be arriving just about now.
out and about
- able to go outside again after an illness
- travelling around a place
- We've been out and about talking to people all over the country.
that’s about all | that’s about it
- used to say that you have finished telling somebody about something and there is nothing to add
- ‘Anything else?’ ‘No, that's about it for now.’
Check pronunciation:
about