about to
(obsolete, _, in affirmative) Indicates that one is preparing or planning to do the stated thing at some time in the future, not necessarily imminently.
Seen in the wild
I've been thinking about this today as I might be about to lose my work and I have no idea what I'd do.
literally they’re just shitting themselves as Labour is about to lose some local councils embarrassingly in London. They shipping in Andy Burnham TO HARINGEY and LEWISHAM, boroughs that look like this. they’re shit fu…
My friends and I are about to start a DnD campaign. None of them have played before except for a practice one-shot we did. I'm going to play as a Goliath Dhampir Blood Mage. Their name is Thrae. They wear a very ove…
about to tear up thinking about how the youngsters interpret us!! little enough for there to be no hostile, contemptuous sarcasm yet sincerely as if a doll Encanto's gorgeous jumbo fluffy curls & horse mane with th…
Is anyone else just... does anyone else just feel more tense than usual? IDK what it is but, even I feel less chill than usual, I know you guys are about to rant about the state of the world, or discrimination, or wha…
Definitions
(obsolete, _, in affirmative) Indicates that one is preparing or planning to do the stated thing at some time in the future, not necessarily imminently.
“I've been thinking about this today as I might be about to lose my work and I have no idea what I'd do.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“literally they’re just shitting themselves as Labour is about to lose some local councils embarrassingly in London. They shipping in Andy Burnham TO HARINGEY and LEWISHAM, boroughs that look like this. they’re shit fucking scared”
— Bluesky· May 2026“My friends and I are about to start a DnD campaign. None of them have played before except for a practice one-shot we did. I'm going to play as a Goliath Dhampir Blood Mage. Their name is Thrae. They wear a very oversized hat since they don't like sunlight.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“about to tear up thinking about how the youngsters interpret us!! little enough for there to be no hostile, contemptuous sarcasm yet sincerely as if a doll Encanto's gorgeous jumbo fluffy curls & horse mane with the cozy, kind face nose”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Is anyone else just... does anyone else just feel more tense than usual? IDK what it is but, even I feel less chill than usual, I know you guys are about to rant about the state of the world, or discrimination, or whatever is bugging you up but. I've been told by my therapist to decompress, I'm going out on Saturday, let's all just take a vow to not let anything disturb us today.”
— r/GenZ· Apr 2026
Comments
(as negative 'not about to', informal, originally, _, US, Canada) Indicates that one has no intention of doing the stated thing at any time in the future.
About to means: Indicates that one has no intention of doing the stated thing at any time in the future.. It is mainly Canadian English and may not be understood outside that context. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
about to means: Indicates that one has no intention of doing the stated thing at any time in the future.. Register: informal, Canadian English. Often not understood outside its region; gloss the word on first use when writing for an international audience. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
“>> You're about to. Oh, this video is so”
“>> I was about to say you get that right.”
“literally about to say cuz I was like,”
“>> You're about to. Oh, this video is so”
“literally about to say cuz I was like,”
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“>> I was about to say you get that right.”
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
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Semantically related
- fixin' to66%
About to; preparing to. "Fixin' to leave" = about to leave. Quintessentially Southern, particularly Texan and Appalachian.
- address62%
(intransitive, obsolete) To prepare oneself.
- finna59%
Going to / about to — contraction of "fixing to." "I'm finna leave" = "I'm about to leave." Ubiquitous in AAVE and documented as far back as the 1940s, though outside the US it still reads distinctly American.
- would-be59%
Attempting or desiring something.