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Glite Dictionary
to know about

to know about

∞ 1.5
Have information about a person or situation
  • phrasal verb
  • /noʊ əˈbaʊt/
translation icon : saber de
  • What do you know about how your brain works?
  • Little is known about
  • want to know about
  • need to know about

So, you know, I knew about Avalon Hills Diplomacy.

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Examples

  • If you succeed, the whole world will know about what you've done; I promise you.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Listen, I already told you everything I know about this crime, everything.

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

  • The question is do you know about them or not?

    Mulligan Brothers Interviews

  • The question is, do you know about them or not?

  • The more you know about the person, the better.

  • What should men know about how to treat a lady?

  • What do you know about the old man?

    The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

  • The first section describes what we know about learning and early literacy.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Most of what we know about the Persian Empire, however, comes from its western half.

    Academic text (2011)

  • What do you know about the history of the internet?

Synonyms

to know
vsto know about
∞ 1.0

To have information about something

is broader, covering general information about a subject, person, or situation
to know what's going on
vsto know about
294 3.1

To be aware of what is happening

covers information about people, subjects, or situations not only current ones
to have a clue
vsto know about
  • Informal
111 4.1

To know even a little about something

implies fuller, more certain information and clearer knowledge
to know what's what
vsto know about
  • Informal
15 6.7

To understand a situation or subject well

is more general, meaning having information without deep practical understanding
to know what is what
vsto know about
  • Informal
1 6.4

To understand what is really happening because of experience

is broader, meaning to possess information even without deep experience
to know your beans
vsto know about
  • UK
9.1

To be an expert in a subject like cooking or computers

is the neutral expression for having information about a subject

How Experienced

to buy the T-shirt
  • Informal
8.7
experience
∞ 1.0
to know about
∞ 1.5
to hear
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

know about infinitive
knowing about present participle
knows about third person singular
knew about past
known about past participle

Morphology

know + about

The meaning 'to have information concerning' is directly and compositionally derived from 'know' (be aware of facts) + 'about' (concerning a topic); a learner who knows both words will naturally interpret this combination as knowledge regarding a subject. This construction follows a common and predictable grammar pattern across languages, so an average B1 learner should understand it without prior exposure.

Etymology

Know about comes from a simple picture: know means to have facts and about means around a subject, so imagine facts pinned around a picture so you can see what is known. That's why it means 'to have information about' someone or something.