Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
Note: In addition to the uses shown below, '~' is used after some verbs, nouns, and adjectives to introduce extra information. 'About' is also often used after verbs of movement, such as ‘walk’ and ‘drive’, and in phrasal verbs such as ‘mess ~’ and ‘set ~’, especially in British English.
1.
You use ~ to introduce who or what something relates to or concerns.
She came in for a coffee, and told me ~ her friend Shona...
She knew a lot ~ food...
He never complains ~ his wife.
PREP
2.
When you mention the things that an activity or institution is ~, you are saying what it involves or what its aims are.
Leadership is ~ the ability to implement change.
PREP
3.
You use ~ after some adjectives to indicate the person or thing that a feeling or state of mind relates to.
‘I’m sorry ~ Patrick,’ she said...
I feel so guilty and angry ~ the whole issue.
PREP
4.
If you do something ~ a problem, you take action in order to solve it.
Rachel was going to do something ~ Jacob...
PREP
5.
When you say that there is a particular quality ~ someone or something, you mean that they have this quality.
I think there’s something a little peculiar ~ the results of your test.
PREP
6.
About is used in front of a number to show that the number is not exact.
In my local health centre there’s ~ forty parking spaces...
The rate of inflation is running at ~ 2.7 percent.
= approximately, around
? precisely
ADV: ADV num
7.
If someone or something moves ~, they keep moving in different directions.
Everyone was running ~.
= around
ADV: ADV after v
•
About is also a preposition.
From 1879 to 1888 he wandered ~ Germany, Switzerland, and Italy...
= around
PREP: v PREP n
8.
If you put something ~ a person or thing, you put it around them.
Helen threw her arms ~ him...
= round, around
PREP
9.
If someone or something is ~, they are present or available.
There’s lots of money ~ these days for schemes like this.
ADJ: v-link ADJ
10.
If you are ~ to do something, you are going to do it very soon. If something is ~ to happen, it will happen very soon.
I think he’s ~ to leave...
The film was ~ to start.
ADJ: v-link ADJ to-inf
11.
how ~: see how
what ~: see what
just ~: see just
12.
If someone is out and ~, they are going out and doing things, especially after they have been unable to for a while.
Despite considerable pain she has been getting out and ~ almost as normal...
PHRASE: usu PHR after v, also v-link PHR
13.
If someone is out and ~, they are going to a lot of different places, often as part of their job.
They often saw me out and ~.
PHRASE: usu PHR after v, also v-link PHR