Meaning & use
around and about
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformalBritish
in many different places or directions, often while moving from one spot to another.
Grammar: Used as an adverbial phrase, often after verbs of movement like 'walk', 'drive', 'travel'.
Patterns
- walk around and about
- travel around and about
- be around and about
We spent the afternoon walking around and about the old town.
He likes to drive around and about the countryside on weekends.
There were papers scattered around and about the office.
phrasefixed phraseinformalBritish
approximately or roughly (informal, British).
Grammar: Used before numbers or amounts to mean 'about' or 'roughly'.
Patterns
- around and about + number
The repair will cost around and about fifty pounds.
There were around and about thirty people at the meeting.
Common combinations
- walk around and about
- We walked around and about the market for hours.
- travel around and about
- She loves to travel around and about Europe by train.
- around and about the house
- There are always toys around and about the house.
Synonyms and how they differ
- here and there
- Similar but emphasizes scattered positions rather than movement; 'around and about' often implies moving.
- about
- Shorter and more general; 'around and about' is more informal and emphatic.
Commonly confused: around and about or up and about?
around and about vs up and about
Means 'out of bed and active after illness', not 'in many places'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'around and about' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Around and about' means moving in many places, so 'wandered around and about the city center' fits. The other options use it with wrong meanings or prepositions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “around and about”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.