1.

above
[bv]

PREPOSITION
1.

in extended space over and not touching:

"a display of fireworks above the town"
"a cable runs above the duct"
extending upward over:

"her arms above her head"

higher than and to one side of; overlooking:

"in the hills above the capital"

[more]
"on the wall above the altar"
synonyms: over higher (up) than on top of atop on
[more]
upon
antonyms: below under beneath
2.
at a higher level or layer than:
"bruises above both eyes"
"small windows above the aisles"

higher in grade or rank than:

"at a level above the common people"

synonyms: superior to senior to over higher (up) than
[more]
more powerful than in charge of commanding
antonyms: below junior to
considered of higher status or worth than; too good for:

"she married above her"

[more]
"above reproach"
in preference to:

"they cynically chose profit above car safety"

synonyms: more than over before rather than
[more]
in preference to instead of
at a higher volume or pitch than:

"above a whisper"
[more]
"it went unheard above the din"
3.
higher than (a specified amount, rate, or norm):
"above average"
"above freezing" "above sea level" "the unemployment rate will soar above its present level"
synonyms: greater than more than higher than exceeding
in excess of over over and above beyond surpassing upwards of

antonyms: below less than

ADVERB
4.
at a higher level or layer:
"place a quantity of mud in a jar with water above"
synonyms: overhead on/at the top high up on high up above
(up) in the sky high above one's head aloft

higher in grade or rank:

"an officer of the rank of superintendent or above"

higher than a specified amount, rate, or norm:

"boats of 31 ft. or above"

(in printed text) mentioned earlier or further up on the same page:
"the two cases described above"
[more]
"see above left" "at the above address" "since writing the above, I have reconsidered"
synonyms: earlier previously before formerly preceding
[more]
previous earlier former foregoing prior above-stated above-mentioned aforementioned
aforesaid
An extraordinary debut urban fantasy about dangers outside and in. "Above pulls off that rare trick of
being convincing and utterly magical at the same time

about
[uh-bout]
Spell Syllables

Word Origin

preposition
1.
of; concerning; in regard to:
instructions about the work; a book about the Civil War.
2.
connected or associated with:
There was an air of mystery about him.
3.
near; close to:
a man about my height; about six o'clock.

4.
in or somewhere near:
He is about the house.
5.
on every side of; around:
the railing about the excavation.
6.
on or near (one's person):
They lost all they had about them.
7.
so as to be of use to:
Keep your wits about you.
8.
on the verge or point of (usually followed by an infinitive):
about to leave.
9.
here or there; in or on:
to wander about the old castle.
10.
concerned with; engaged in doing:
Tell me what it's about. Bring me the other book while you're about it.
adverb
11.
near in time, number, degree, etc.; approximately:
It's about five miles from here.
12.

nearly; almost:
Dinner is about ready.
13.
nearby; not far off:
He is somewhere about.
14.
on every side; in every direction; around:
Look about and see if you can find it.
15.
halfway around; in the opposite direction:
to turn a car about.
16.
from one place to another; in this place or that:
to move furniture about; important papers strewn about.
17.
in rotation or succession; alternately:
Turn about is fair play.
18.
in circumference:
a wheel two inches about.
19.
Nautical.
1. onto a new tack.
2. onto a new course.
adjective
20.

moving around; astir:

He was up and about while the rest of us still slept.
21.
in existence; current; prevalent:
Chicken pox is about.

about
/bat/
preposition
1.
relating to; concerning; on the subject of
2.
near or close to (in space or time)
3.
carried on: I haven't any money about me
4.
on every side of; all the way around
5.
active in or engaged in: she is about her business
6.
about to
1. on the point of; intending to: she was about to jump
2. (with a negative) determined not to: nobody is about to miss it
adverb
7.
approximately; near in number, time, degree, etc: about 50 years old
8.

nearby
9.
here and there; from place to place; in no particular direction: walk about to keep
warm
10.
all around; on every side
11.
in or to the opposite direction: he turned about and came back
12.
in rotation or revolution: turn and turn about
13.
used in informal phrases to indicate understatement: I've had just about enough of
your insults, it's about time you stopped
14.
(archaic) in circumference; around
adjective
15.
(predicative) active; astir after sleep: up and about
16.
(predicative) in existence, current, or in circulation: there aren't many about
nowadays
Word Origin
Old English abtan, onbtan on the outside of, around, from on + btan outside
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cite This Source
Word Origin and History for about Expand
adv.

Old English abutan, earlier onbutan "on the outside of," from on (see on ) + be "by" (see by ) +
utan "outside," from ut (see out (adv.)). By 13c. it had forced out Old English ymbe, ymbutan for
meaning "in the neighborhood of." Abouts, with adverbial genitive, still found in hereabouts,
etc., probably is a northern dialectal form. About face as a military command (short for right
about face) is first attested 1861, American English.
Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Idioms and Phrases with about Expand

about

about time

about to

also see:

at about

beat about the bush

bring about

cast about

come about

do an about-face

get about

go about (one's business)

how about (that)

just about

knock about

lay about

man about town

nose about (around)

no two ways about it

order someone about

out and about

see about

send someone about someone'

set about

that's about the size of it

up and about

what about someone (something)

at about
At approximately, as in We'll start at about nine. This phrase, most often used with
respect to time (as at about four o'clock), is sometimes criticized for being redundant.
Although one of the two words sometimes can be omitted without changing the
meaningfor example, About four o'clock is when most guests will arrive in other
instances both are needed, as in This stock is now selling at about its original offering
price. [Early 1800s ]

Beat about the bush. Andar con rodeos

No two ways about it. No hay vuelta de hojas
Nose about. Curosear
Man about town. Hombre del pueblo
Bring about. Producir
About to. Punto de