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The language you are about to hear... is disturbing.
Dave Chappelle

Meaning of "about to" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF ABOUT TO

about to play
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WHAT DOES ABOUT TO MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Going-to future

The going-to future is a grammatical construction used in English to refer to various types of future occurrences. It is made using appropriate forms of the expression to be going to. It is an alternative to other ways of referring to the future in English, such as the future construction formed with will – in some contexts the different constructions are interchangeable, while in others they carry somewhat different implications. Constructions analogous to the English going-to future are found in some other languages, including French and Spanish.

Definition of about to in the English dictionary

The definition of about to in the dictionary is on the point of; intending to. Other definition of about to is determined not to.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE ABOUT TO

abortuaries
abortuary
abortus
abought
Aboukir Bay
aboulia
aboulic
abound
about
about face
about turn
about-face
about-ship
about-shipped
about-shipping
about-turn
abouts
above
above all
above and beyond

WORDS THAT END LIKE ABOUT TO

according to
be a wake-up to
come home to
come to
come up to
down to
due to
face up to
give rise to
give vent to
give way to
go to
in addition to
in order to
lose one´s heart to
next to
set to
sock it to
subject to
take off one´s hat to

Synonyms and antonyms of about to in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «ABOUT TO»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «about to» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of about to

Translation of «about to» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF ABOUT TO

Find out the translation of about to to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of about to from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «about to» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

即将
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

punto de
570 millions of speakers

English

about to
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

के बारे में
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

على وشك
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

о в
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

sobre a
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

সম্পর্কে
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

sur le point d´
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Kira-kira untuk
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

über den
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

arep
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

sắp
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

பற்றி
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

विषयी
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

ecek üzere
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

per
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

o do
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

про в
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

pe cale de a
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

περίπου προς
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

oor te
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

väg att
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

i ferd med å
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of about to

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «ABOUT TO»

The term «about to» is very widely used and occupies the 6.654 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
97
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «about to» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of about to
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «about to».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «ABOUT TO» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «about to» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «about to» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about about to

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «ABOUT TO»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word about to.
1
Madeleine Albright
No matter what message you are about to deliver somewhere, whether it is holding out a hand of friendship, or making clear that you disapprove of something, is the fact that the person sitting across the table is a human being, so the goal is to always establish common ground.
2
Ian Anderson
When I was in my teenage years, I went to sign up as a cadet entrant to the police force but was at the very last moment rejected, just as I was about to sign my name on the dotted line. I won't get into why that happened, but it was a moment where it could've been predetermined then that I was off to become a policeman.
3
Matthew Tobin Anderson
I eat broccoli. I think about the plot. I pace in circles for hours, counter-clockwise, listening to music. I try to think of one detail in the scene I'm about to write that I'm really excited about writing. Until I can come up with that one detail, I pace.
4
Susan B. Anthony
Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputations... can never effect a reform.
5
Geoffrey Beene
A woman should be less concerned about Paris and more concerned about whether the dress she's about to buy relates to the way she lives.
6
Henri Bergson
In its entirety, probably, it follows us at every instant; all that we have felt, thought and willed from our earliest infancy is there, leaning over the present which is about to join it, pressing against the portals of consciousness that would fain leave it outside.
7
Chester Brown
Almost every scene, I re-think as I'm about to start drawing it, and at least half of the time I'm changing dialogue or whatever, or adding scenes or different things.
8
Mark Burnett
The world is changing, and the Internet is about to become the next broadcast network.
9
Dave Chappelle
The language you are about to hear... is disturbing.
10
Drake
I just have a thing in my brain that when I'm about to do something that's genuine or authentic, I think of it in song form. I'll be like, 'Yo, this is a human emotion that no one talks about.'

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «ABOUT TO»

Discover the use of about to in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to about to and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
A Bad Idea I'm about to Do: True Tales of Seriously Poor ...
The author recounts awkward encounters and embarassing experiences that he had both while growing up in New Jersey and as an adult.
Chris Gethard, 2012
2
About to Die: How News Images Move the Public
Tracking events as wide-ranging as the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, the Holocaust, the Vietnam War, and 9/11, Barbie Zelizer demonstrates that modes of journalistic depiction and the power of the image are immense cultural forces that are ...
Barbie Zelizer, 2010
3
Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller: Oil and ...
Most passionately, Rubin recommends ways every citizen can secure this better life for himself, actions that will end our enslavement to chain-store taste and strengthen our communities and timeless human values. From the Hardcover edition.
Jeff Rubin, 2009
4
Is Your Balloon about to Pop?: Owner's Manual for the ...
This book deal with basic issues related to stress; various stages of stress; long term consequences of inappropriate ways of coping with stress.
Bob Kamath MD, 2007
5
My Tooth Is about to Fall Out
A little girl loses a tooth
Grace MacCarone, 2009
6
Something Is about to Happen: Sermons for Advent and Christmas
Previously published under the title Shepherds and Bathrobes, this series of model sermons for Advent/Christmas includes such topics as John the Baptist's preaching in the wilderness, the Word made flesh, and a sound and light show on the ...
Thomas G. Long, 1996
7
Don't Talk to Me About the War
The stories of a Jewish friend at school, however, begin to make the war more real to him, and Tommy, like the world around him, is sure to be forever changed.
David A. Adler, 2009
8
A Leaf about to Fall: Selected Poems
With over 200 poems drawn from more than half a century of work, A Leaf About To Fall offers a unique and indispensable portal into the world of İlhan Berk.
İlhan Berk, 2006
9
About to Blow
Valkyrie's Vow, Book One For a thousand years, Mist has shepherded battle-slain warriors to their choice of Valhalla or Asgard.
Mari Freeman, 2012
10
To Kill a Mockingbird
One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960.
Harper Lee, 1970

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «ABOUT TO»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term about to is used in the context of the following news items.
1
China's stock markets are about to face a make-or-break week
China's stock markets may be facing a make-or-break week after officials rolled out an unprecedented series of steps at the weekend to prevent ... «Business Insider, Jul 15»
2
Is Chris Moyles about to make his radio comeback on XFM?
The former BBC Radio 1 host signed a “big money deal” with XFM on Wednesday, according to The Sun on Sunday. «Irish Examiner, Jul 15»
3
Is Greece about to call the EU's bluff?
Sunday, 3am. Athens is quiet. People have gone “home” to vote: to islands, to Thessaloniki, to far suburbs beyond the public transport network. «Channel 4 News, Jul 15»
4
Pension tax breaks: this is why they're about to be cut
George Osborne has already indicated that tax relief on pension contributions is one area where the Tory's deficit-cutting axe could fall. «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»
5
Wales and England about to move ahead of Spain, Italy and France …
And both Wales and England are about to jump into the top 10 courtesy of the weird ranking systems they have going on in Zurich. Alright, Wales beat the ... «SportsJOE, Jul 15»
6
Caps of tomorrow about to descend on Kettler
Capitals fans thirsting for some midsummer hockey will get their wish this week when the Capitals host their annual summer development camp ... «Comcast SportsNet Washington, Jul 15»
7
Agricultural use of drones about to take off after being grounded by …
In this June 11, 2015, photo, a hexacopter drone is flown by Intelligent UAS, during a drone demonstration at a farm and winery on potential ... «Fox Business, Jul 15»
8
Tiny northern Colorado town of Pierce about to get a bit bigger
PIERCE — Kim Herrick and Opie McNeill are itching for a little old-time welcome wagon-ing. The pair, part of the Walkabout Acres Home ... «Greeley Tribune, Jul 15»
9
Uber Bubble About to Burst?
Uber, the 'ride-sharing' app that has changed the way we think about the service industry, has been riding a frenzied bubble of hype to ... «Pulse, Jul 15»
10
Sinitta's Twitter was hacked to say some interesting things about …
Tweets were posted which suggested that the former pop star and Loose Woman was about to release a juicy tell-all book and the messages ... «Metro, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. About to [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/about-to>. Apr 2024 ».
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