about to
phrase1
Idiomatic, Verb, With infinitive Indicates something that will happen very soon; indicates action that is imminent; ready to; went to
- He's standing at the edge, and I think he's about to jump.
- She seemed about to say something.
3 more examples
- And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:1769, King James Bible, Oxford Standard text, Acts of the Apostles, xviii, 14
- I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
- I had travelled one morning down to Aylesbury, and had left my train, and was about to cross the footbridge, when I heard the imperious whistle of a "B1." I paused, and round the bend came the "Master Cutler" with its engine working absolutely flat out.1955 April, W. J. Alcock, “Unforgettable Moments”, in Railway Magazine, page 271:
2
Canada, Informal, As negative 'not about to' Indicates that one has no intention of doing the stated thing at any time in the future.
- I'm not about to let the lockdown stop me from going to the beach every day.
- I'm not about to wander around at night to find it.
3
Obsolete, In affirmative Indicates that one is preparing or planning to do the stated thing at some time in the future, not necessarily imminently.
- Synonyms
- bound to, fixing to, on the point of