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about

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a⋅bout

  [uh-bout]
Use about in a Sentence
–preposition
1. of; concerning; in regard to: instructions about the work; a book about the Civil War.
2. connected or associated with: There was an air of mystery about him.
3. near; close to: a man about my height; about six o'clock.
4. in or somewhere near: He is about the house.
5. on every side of; around: the railing about the excavation.
6. on or near (one's person): They lost all they had about them.
7. so as to be of use to: Keep your wits about you.
8. on the verge or point of (usually fol. by an infinitive): about to leave.
9. here or there; in or on: to wander about the old castle.
10. concerned with; engaged in doing: Tell me what it's about. Bring me the other book while you're about it.
–adverb
11. near in time, number, degree, etc.; approximately: It's about five miles from here.
12. nearly; almost: Dinner is about ready.
13. nearby; not far off: He is somewhere about.
14. on every side; in every direction; around: Look about and see if you can find it.
15. halfway around; in the opposite direction: to turn a car about.
16. from one place to another; in this place or that: to move furniture about; important papers strewn about.
17. in rotation or succession; alternately: Turn about is fair play.
18. in circumference: a wheel two inches about.
19. Nautical.
a. onto a new tack.
b. onto a new course.
–adjective
20. moving around; astir: He was up and about while the rest of us still slept.
21. in existence; current; prevalent: Chicken pox is about.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME aboute(n), OE abūtan, onbūtan on the outside of (a- a- 1 + būtan outside (see but 1 , but 2 ), equiv. to b(e) by + ūtan), c. Goth utana, ON, OS ūtan, OFris ūta, OHG ūzan(a) outside; see out; cf. above, abaft for formation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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a·bout   (ə-bout')   
adv.  

  1. Approximately; nearly: The interview lasted about an hour.

  2. Almost: The job is about done.

  3. To a reversed position or direction: Turn about and walk away slowly.

  4. In no particular direction: wandering about with no place to go.

  5. All around; on every side: Let's look about for help.

  6. In the area or vicinity; near: spoke to a few spectators standing about.

  7. In succession; one after another: Turn about is fair play.

    1. On the verge of; presently going to. Used with the infinitive: The chorus is about to sing.

    2. Usage Problem Used to show determination or intention in negative constructions with an infinitive: I am not about to concede the point.

prep.  

  1. On all sides of; surrounding: I found an English garden all about me.

  2. In the vicinity of; around: explored the rivers and streams about the estate.

  3. Almost the same as; close to; near.

    1. In reference to; relating to; concerned with: a book about snakes.

    2. In the act or process of: While you're about it, please clean your room.

  5. In the possession or innate character of: Keep your wits about you.

adj.  

  1. Moving here and there; astir: The patient is up and about.

  2. Being in evidence or existence: Rumors are about concerning his resignation.


[Middle English, from Old English onbūtan : on, in; see on + būtan, outside; see ud- in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: The construction not about to is often used to express determination: We are not about to negotiate with terrorists. A majority of the Usage Panel considers this usage acceptable in speech but not in formal writing. · About is traditionally used to refer to the relation between a narrative and its subject: a book about Cézanne; a movie about the Boston Massacre. This use has lately been extended to refer to the relation between various nonlinguistic entities and the things they make manifest, as in The party was mostly about showing off their new offices or His designs are about the use of rough-textured materials. This practice probably originates with the expression That's what it's all about, but it remains controversial. Fifty-nine percent of the Usage Panel rejected this use in the example A designer teapot isn't about making tea; it is about letting people know that you have a hundred dollars to spend on a teapot.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

about 
O.E. onbutan "on the outside of," from on "on" + be "by" + utan "outside," from ut (see out). By 13c. it had forced out O.E. ymbe for meaning "in the neighborhood of." Abouts, with adverbial genitive, still found in hereabouts, etc., is probably a northern dialectal form. About face as a military command (short for right about face) is first attested 1861, Amer.Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

about

In addition to the idioms beginning with about, also see at about; beat about the bush; bring about; cast about; come about; do an about-face; get about; go about (one's business); how about (that); just about; knock about; lay about; man about town; nose about (around); no two ways about it; order someone about; out and about; see about; send someone about someone's business; set about; that's about the size of it; up and about; what about someone (something).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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