English▸ preposition
1 on the subject of; concerning:
I was thinking about you
it's all about having fun
an article about yellow fever.
▪ so as to affect:
there's nothing we can do about it.
3 mainly British used to express location in a particular place:
rugs strewn about the hall
he produced a knife from somewhere about his person.
▪ used to describe a quality apparent in a person:
there was a look about her that said everything.
▸ adverb
1 mainly British used to indicate movement in an area:
men were floundering about
finding my way about.
– PHRASES
about to do something
intending to do something or close to doing something very soon:
be unwilling to do something:
be aware of the implications of one's actions or of a situation, and of how best to deal with them:
about to do something
intending to do something or close to doing something very soon:
the ceremony was about to begin.
be not about to do something be unwilling to do something:
he is not about to step down after so long.
know what one is about informal be aware of the implications of one's actions or of a situation, and of how best to deal with them:
don't go to the Congo without knowing what you're about.