about

about
I
adj. (cannot stand alone)
ready

1) about to + inf. (the performance is about to begin)

willing
(colloq.) (AE)

2) not about to + inf. (we are not about to stop now; we are not about to be taken in by their campaign promises)

misc.

3) to set about doing smt.

II
prep.

1) be quick about it ('do it quickly')

2) how/what about us?

We say 'to be angry/annoyed/furious/excited/worried/upset/sorry about something':

- What are you so angry/annoyed about?

- Are you excited about going on holiday next week? - I'm sorry about the noise last night. We were having a party. (but: sorry for doing something)

We say 'to care about someone/something' (= think someone/something is important):

- He is very selfish. He doesn't care about other people.

We say 'to complain to someone about someone/something:

- We complained to the manager of the restaurant about the food.

We say 'to dream/hear about someone/something':

- I dreamt about you last night.

- Did you hear about the fight in the club on Saturday night?

We say 'to think about someone/something' (= consider, concentrate the mind on):

- You're quiet this morning. What are you thinking about?

The difference between 'think of ' and 'think about' is sometimes very small. Often you I can use 'of' or 'about':

- My sister is thinking of (or about) going to Canada.

We say 'to do something about something' (= do something to improve a bad situation):

- The economic situation is getting worse and worse. The government ought to do something about it.

We say 'to remind someone about something' (= tell someone not to forget):

- I'm glad you reminded me about the party. I had completely forgotten it.

We say 'to warn someone about someone/something (of is also possible sometimes):

- I knew she was a bit strange before I met her. Tom had warned me about her.

* * *
[ə'baʊt]
['misc. '] to set about doing smt.
how/what about us?
be quick about it ('do it quickly')
(cannot stand alone) ['ready'] about to + inf. (the performance is about to begin)
['willing'] (colloq.) (AE) not about to + inf. (we are not about to stop now; we are not about to be taken in by their campaign promises)

Combinatory dictionary. 2013.

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Synonyms:
, , , , , , , / , , , , , , / , , , , , , , , , , , , , , / , , , , , ,


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