about
∞
1.0
- adverb
- /əˈbaʊt/
- The meeting should last for about an hour.
- about 80 percent
- about 25 million
- about half
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Watch on YouTubeYeah, I wrote it about nine years ago.
- Yeah, I wrote it about nine years ago.
- Now the earth is surfaced by about a dozen shells.
- The outline went through about four rewrites.
- I've now been a fuel drinker for about four years, roughly.
- Most FDA commissioners don't last but about two years in modern history.
- And you said it's just about believing it.
- But how long ago was this about now a year.
Examples
-
We'll meet at Wakely at about half past 8:00.
-
The guy has been missing for about two years now.
-
Yeah, I wrote it about nine years ago.
-
I think I'd last about 20 minutes.
-
In all, judges said they spend about five to ten minutes on each case.
Academic text (2017) -
We worked closely together for about six years, and after that, we remained colleagues.
Academic text (2017) -
The retail price of the cabinet was about $80 at the time of purchase.
Academic text (2012) -
OK, so I've been a small business owner about six years now.
-
They should arrive in about 15 minutes.
-
That means we've climbed about 1,000 feet.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Nearly but not completely
∞
1.0
Almost but not completely
∞
1.0
About an amount or number, not exact
922
2.7
Almost right, but not exactly
839
1.0
You add it after a number to show the number is about that amount
527
1.0
Almost happening or becoming true
471
3.2
Near the exact number or amount
393
1.6
About a number or amount that is not exact
251
2.1
About a number or idea, not exact but close enough
26
9.9
Very near in time, place, or degree
7
7.0
At about that time, place, or number
3
8.4
Almost but not completely
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
1
7.4
To stay alert and think quickly in difficult or unexpected situations
- Slur
People say it when something seems typical of white people and shows white privilege
Compounds
How Exact
Surface Forms
Etymology
About began with the idea of being 'around' a number or place from old English a- 'on' and butan 'outside', and that sense of 'around' grew into meaning 'approximately', which is why we say 'about two o'clock' to mean 'around' two.