SG Heritage Dictionary

Word of the Day: Catachrestical

About [Adverb] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. Near to in number or quantity.

2. There fell that day about three thousand men. Exodus 32:28 .

3. Near to in quality or degree; as about as high, or as cold.

4. Here and there; around; in one place and another.

5. Wandering about from house to house. 1 Timothy 5:13 .

6. round, or the longest way, opposed to across, or the shortest way. A mile about and half a mile across.

7. To bring about to bring to the end; to effect or accomplish a purpose.

8. To come about to change or turn; to come to the desired point. In a like sense, seamen say go about when a ship changes her course and goes on the other tack.

9. Ready about about ship, are orders for tacking.

10. To go about signifies to enter upon; also to prepare; to seek the means.

11. Why go ye about to kill me. John 7:14 .

About [Preposition] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. literally, around, on the outside.]

2. Around; on the exterior part or surface.

3. Bind them about thy neck. Proverbs 3:3 . Isa. Latin Hence,

4. Near to in place, with the sense of circularity.

5. Get you up from about the tabernacle. Numbers 16:24 .

6. Near to in time.

7. He went out about the third hour. Matthew 21:3 .

8. Near to, in action, or near to the performance of some act.

9. Paul was about to open his mouth.

10. They were about to flee out of the ship. Acts 28:14 - 28:30.

11. Near to the person; appended to the clothes. Every thing about him is in order. Is your snuff box about you? From nearness on all sides, the transition is easy to a concern with. Hence,

12. Concerned in, engaged in, relating to, respecting.

13. I must be about my father's business. Luke 2:49 . The painter is not to take so much pains about the drapery as about the face

14. What is he about?

15. In compass or circumference; two yards about the trunk.

About [Adverb] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. On all sides; around.

2. In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; as, a mile about, and a third of a mile across.

3. Here and there; around; in one place and another.

4. Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence, in quality, manner, degree, etc.; as, about as cold; about as high; -- also of quantity, number, time.

5. To a reserved position; half round; in the opposite direction; on the opposite tack; as, to face about; to turn one's self about.

About [Preposition] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. Around; all round; on every side of.

2. In the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place; by or on (one's person).

3. Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.

4. Near; not far from; -- determining approximately time, size, quantity.

5. In concern with; engaged in; intent on.

6. On the point or verge of; going; in act of.

7. Concerning; with regard to; on account of; touching.

About-sledge [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

The largest hammer used by smiths.

Relation Roget’s Thesaurus §9

N. relation, bearing, reference, connection, concern, cognation, correlation, analogy, similarity, affinity, homology, alliance, homogeneity, association, approximation, filiation, interest, relevancy, dependency, relationship, relative position, comparison, ratio, proportion, link, tie, bond of union

V. be related, have a relation, relate to, refer to, bear upon, regard, concern, touch, affect, have to do with, pertain to, belong to, appertain to, answer to, interest, bring into relation with, bring to bear upon, connect, associate, draw a parallel, link

Adj. relative, correlative, cognate, relating to, relative to, in relation with, referable or referrible to, belonging to, appurtenant to, in common with, related, connected, implicated, associated, affiliated, allied to, en rapport, in touch with, approximative, approximating, proportional, proportionate, proportionable, allusive, comparable, in the same category, like, relevant, applicable, equiparant

Adv. relatively, pertinently, thereof, as to, as for, as respects, as regards, about, concerning, anent, relating to, as relates to, with relation, with reference to, with respect to, with regard to, in respect of, while speaking of, a propos of, in connection with, by the way, by the by, whereas, for as much as, in as much as, in point of, as far as, on the part of, on the score of, quoad hoc, pro re nata, under the head of of, in the matter of, in re

Phr. "thereby hangs a tale"

Smallness Roget’s Thesaurus §32

N. smallness, littleness, tenuity, paucity, fewness, meanness, insignificance (unimportance) 643, mediocrity, moderation, small quantity, modicum, trace, hint, minimum, vanishing point, material point, atom, particle, molecule, corpuscle, point, speck, dot, mote, jot, iota, ace, minutiae, details, look, thought, idea, soupcon, dab, dight, whit, tittle, shade, shadow, spark, scintilla, gleam, touch, cast, grain, scruple, granule, globule, minim, sup, sip, sop, spice, drop, droplet, sprinkling, dash, morceau, screed, smack, tinge, tincture, inch, patch, scantling, tatter, cantlet, flitter, gobbet, mite, bit, morsel, crumb, seed, fritter, shive, snip, snippet, snick, snack, snatch, slip, scrag, chip, chipping, shiver, sliver, driblet, clipping, paring, shaving, hair, nutshell, thimbleful, spoonful, handful, capful, mouthful, fragment, fraction, drop in the ocean, animalcule, trifle, mere nothing, next to nothing, hardly anything, just enough to swear by, the shadow of a shade, finiteness, finite quantity

V. be small, lie in a nutshell, diminish, (contract) 195

Adj. small, little, diminutive, minute, fine, inconsiderable, paltry, faint, slender, light, slight, scanty, scant, limited, meager, sparing, few, low, so-so, middling, tolerable, no great shakes, below par, under par, below the mark, at a low ebb, halfway, moderate, modest, tender, subtle, inappreciable, evanescent, infinitesimal, homeopathic, very small, atomic, corpuscular, microscopic, molecular, subatomic, mere, simple, sheer, stark, bare, near run, dull, petty, shallow, stolid, ungifted, unintelligent

Adv. to a small extent, on a small scale, a little bit, a wee bit, slightly, imperceptibly, miserably, wretchedly, insufficiently, imperfectly, faintly, passably, pretty well, well enough, partially, in part, in a certain degree, to a certain degree, to a certain extent, comparatively, some, rather in some degree, in some measure, something, somewhat, simply, only, purely, merely, at least, at the least, at most, at the most, ever so little, as little as may be, tant soit peu, in ever so small a degree, thus far, pro tanto, within bounds, in a manner, after a fashion, so to speak, almost, nearly, well-nigh, short of, not quite, all but, near upon, close upon, peu s'en faut, near the mark, within an ace of, within an inch of, on the brink of, scarcely, hardly, barely, only just, no more than, about, thereabouts, somewhere about, nearly, say, be the same, be little more or less, no ways, no way, no wise, not at all, not in the least, not a bit, not a bit of it, not a whit, not a jot, not a shadow, in no wise, in no respect, by no means, by no manner of means, on no account, at no hand

Phr. dare pondus idonea fumo, magno conatu magnas nugas, "small sands the mountain, moments make the year", quantity by comparison with a similar object

Nearness Roget’s Thesaurus §197

N. nearness, proximity, propinquity, vicinity, vicinage, neighborhood, adjacency, contiguity, short distance, short step, short cut, earshot, close quarters, stone's throw, bow shot, gun shot, pistol shot, hair's breadth, span, purlieus, neighborhood, vicinage, environs, alentours, suburbs, confines, banlieue, borderland, whereabouts, bystander, neighbor, borderer, approach, convergence 7c, 290, perihelion

V. be near, adjoin, hang about, trench on, border upon, verge upon, stand by, approximate, tread on the heels of, cling to, clasp, hug, huddle, hang upon the skirts of, hover over, burn, touch bring near, draw near, converge, crowd, place side by side

Adj. near, nigh, close at hand, near at hand, close, neighboring, bordering upon, contiguous, adjacent, adjoining, proximate, proximal, at hand, handy, near the mark, near run, home, intimate

Adv. near, nigh, hard by, fast by, close to, close upon, hard upon, at the point of, next door to, within reach, within call, within hearing, within earshot, within an ace of, but a step, not far from, at no great distance, on the verge of, on the brink of, on the skirts of, in the environs, at one's door, at one's feet, at one's elbow, at one's finger's end, at one's side, on the tip of one's tongue, under one's nose, within a stone's throw, in sight of, in presence of, at close quarters, cheek by jole, cheek by jowl, beside, alongside, side by side, tete-a-tete, in juxtaposition, yardarm to yardarm, at the heels of, on the confines of, at the threshold, bordering upon, verging to, in the way, about, hereabouts, thereabouts, roughly, in round numbers, approximately, approximatively, as good as, well-nigh

Circumjacence Roget’s Thesaurus §227

N. circumjacence, circumambience, environment, encompassment, atmosphere, medium, surroundings, outpost, border, girdle, outskirts, boulebards, suburbs, purlieus, precincts, faubourgs, environs, entourage, banlieue, neighborhood, vicinage, vicinity

V. lie around, surround, beset, compass, encompass, environ, inclose, enclose, encircle, embrace, circumvent, lap, gird, belt, begird, engird, skirt, twine round, hem in

Adj. circumjacent, circumambient, circumfluent, ambient, surrounding, circumferential, suburban

Adv. around, about, without, on every side, on all sides, right and left, all round, round about

King James Bible KJV Bible

Berean Standard Bible BSB Bible

716 KJV and 653 BSB verses contain “about” — showing the first 20. Show all 1,260 verses (searchable)

Genesis 3:3

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’”

Genesis 12:11

And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:

As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman,

Genesis 18:14

Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”

Genesis 18:17

And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

Genesis 19:13

For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

because we are about to destroy this place. For the outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it.”

Genesis 19:14

And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

Genesis 21:12

And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.

Genesis 21:16

And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept.

Genesis 21:25

And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.

But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized,

Genesis 21:26

And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.

Abimelech replied, “I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me, so I have not heard about it until today.”

Genesis 23:17

And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure

So Ephron’s field at Machpelah near Mamre, the cave that was in it, and all the trees within the boundaries of the field were deeded over

Genesis 24:28

And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things.

The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.

Genesis 25:32

And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

“Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”

Genesis 26:7

And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.”

Genesis 26:32

And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.

On that same day, Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found water!” they told him.

Genesis 28:12

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder.

Genesis 29:13

And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.

When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him all that had happened.

Genesis 31:43

And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?

But Laban answered Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, these sons are my sons, and these flocks are my flocks! Everything you see is mine! Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine or the children they have borne?

Genesis 34:5

And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.

Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent about it until they returned.

Genesis 34:10

And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

You may settle among us, and the land will be open to you. Live here, move about freely, and acquire your own property.”