TKG English Learner's Dictionary

about

aboutpreposition

American /əˈbaʊt/ British /əˈbaʊt/ The stress is on the second part: uh-BOUT.
very commondefining vocabulary

About relates a word to its topic, or shows movement through different parts of a place.

  1. topicon the subject of; concerning

    Collocations

    verb + preposition talk about, think about, worry about, hear about, know about, complain about
    noun + preposition a book about, a question about, a dream about

    Synonyms regarding; concerning

    Compare on; over

  2. here and therein different directions or to different parts of a place

    • Toys were scattered about the room.
    • They wandered about the old town for hours.
    • Papers were left lying about the office.

    Synonyms around

Usage

About also appears in be about to, going to happen or be done very soon (the movie is about to start), a separate entry, and as an adverb before a number or amount to show it is not exact (about ten dollars).

Common mistakes

We need to discuss about the schedule. We need to discuss the schedule.
Discuss already means talk about something; it is not followed by about.

See also about (about before a number or amount: about ten dollars); about (be about to, going to happen very soon)