about to

The phrase "about to" is commonly used to indicate that something is imminent or on the verge of happening.

πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ US Voice:
πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ UK Voice:

Definition

B1General

(informal, common)On the verge of doing something or having something happen very soon.

Example

  • She is about to leave for work.
  • They were about to start the meeting.

B2General

(informal, negative)Indicates that one has no intention of doing something in the future.

Example

  • I'm not about to change my mind.
  • He is not about to apologize for something he didn't do.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "about to":

going tocoming onget readygoing onclose to