About (2024)

FAQs

What are better words for "about"? ›

Other forms: abouts. The adverb about, when used with a quantity, means approximately or roughly.

The most common meaning of about as a preposition is 'on the subject of' or 'connected with': … About as an adverb. We use about as an adverb when we talk about time, number and quantity. About makes the time, number or quantity less specific and more approximate: … Be about to.

: with regard to : concerning.

clarify debate discuss dispute maintain question. Strong matches. agitate canvass expostulate hold reason remonstrate. talk about (verb as in treat)

apropos, as concerns, as respects, dealing with, in connection with, in relation to, in respect to, referring to, regarding, relative to, touching, touching on. preposition as in near or close to in position. Synonyms Antonyms.

phrase. You use what about at the beginning of a question when you make a suggestion, offer, or request.

'What about you' is often used in situations where the speaker wants to know if the other person has any additional information or thoughts on a particular topic. It can be used to prompt discussion, gather information, or encourage participation. For example: A : I loved the movie. What about you ?

Why do we use the word about? ›

So we use "about" to mean "concerning" or "regarding." So, I sometimes see learners use the word like, "regarding (a topic)," but "regarding" and "concerning," as well, they sound quite formal. They sound quite polite.

'About' is a preposition but it can also be used as an adverb. In this lesson, we will discover al about this preposition. About can be a preposition, an adverb, or an adjective and is used in many expressions.

To give an account of. chronicle. report. narrate. recount.

If you say that someone knows what they are on about, you are confident that what they are saying is true or makes sense, for example because they are an expert. [British, informal] It looks like he knows what he's on about. See full dictionary entry for on.