Meanings
- not comparableAbout or around that date or time.
Dinner will be ready at six-thirty or thereabout.
Synonyms: thereabouts
- not comparableApproximately that number or quantity.
The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, right? Yes, thereabout.
Synonyms: thereabouts
- datednot comparableAbout that or those: concerning it or them.
And they entred in, and found not the body of the Lord Jeſus. And it came to paſſe, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men ſtood by them in ſhining garments.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 24:3–4, column 21 more example
It cannot be denied that the devolutions of the title to the house in issue have been unusual, and are not free from challenge. In a contest betwixt legal titles, instruments of writing thereabout must often be strictly construed, and that which may be called the real intent of the makers is sometimes defeated. But this [case] does not demand a technical application of the rules of law governing the devolution of land titles. Only a contract is in issue here.
1915, “102 S. C. 313. Etheredge et al. v. Ætna Ins. Co. (No. 9216.) (Supreme Court of South Carolina. Oct. 20, 1915.)”, in The Southeastern Reporter, volume 86, West Publishing Company, page 689Synonyms: thereon, thereupon, thereanent
- datedfigurativelynot comparableNear to that activity or situation.
1 more example
HANCOCK, THOMAS (d. 1706?). Said to have been a tanner. Held the sequestered vicarage of St. Winnow, Corn.; ejected, 1660. Continued preaching thereabout. Signed the thanks of Cornish Ministers. Licensed, 10 or 20 June 1672, as Presbyterian, to teach in his house, parish of Morval, Corn.; the house was licensed, 22 July. From 1687 he maintained a congregation at East Looe, parish of St. Martin, two miles from Morval, and received annual grants (£10, reduced 1695 to £6) from 1690 to end of 1705.
1917, “Index”, in Alexander Gordon, editor, Freedom After Ejection: A Review (1690-1692) of Presbyterian and Congregational Nonconformity in England and Wales (Historical Series), No. XXX, University of Manchester, page 278Synonyms: thereabouts
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbAbout or near that place.
adverbAbout or around that date or time.
adverbAbout or near to that condition or quality.
adverbApproximately that number or quantity.
adverbAbout that or those: concerning it or them.
adverbNear to that activity or situation.
More synonyms by meaning
adverbnear that time or date
adverbnear that place
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂en-“on; onto”
- Proto-Indo-European*só“this; that”
- Old Englishþǣrābūtan
- Middle Englishther-aboute
- Englishthereabout
From Middle English ther-aboute, ther-abouten (“of a place or an object: around there, in its vicinity; surrounding it; nearby, neighbouring; here and there, throughout that place; of an action, matter, etc.: about, concerning; of an amount or distance: approximately, more or less; of time: about then, around that time”) [and other forms], from Old English þǣrābūtan, þǣronbūtan, from þǣr (“there”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *só (“this; that”) + *-r) + abūtan, onbūtan (“about; round about; on; on the outside”) (from on- (prefix meaning ‘on; upon; there; thither; to’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- (“on; onto”)) + būtan (“just, merely, only”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep- + *úd (“away; out; outwards; upwards”))). The English word is analysable as there + about. The word is attested earlier than thereabouts.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian около, около
- около (okolo)about or near that place
- около (okolo)about or around that date or time
- приблизително (priblizitelno)approximately that number or quantity
Dutch daaromheen
- daaromheenabout or near that place
Finnish noilla main, tuollapäin
- noilla mainabout or near that place
- tuollapäinabout or near that place
- niillä mainabout or near that place
- sielläpäinabout or near that place
- noinabout or around that date or time
- paikkeillaabout or around that date or time
- maissaabout or around that date or time
- suunnilleenapproximately that number or quantity
German daherum, dortherum
- daherumabout or near that place
- dortherumabout or near that place
- in der Gegendabout or near that place
- um die Eckeabout or near that place
Italian nei dintorni, nei pressi
- nei dintorniabout or near that place
- nei pressiabout or near that place
- nelle vicinanzeabout or near that place
Latin ad
- adapproximately that number or quantity
Portuguese em torno disto
- em torno distoabout or near that place
Russian о́коло того́, о́коло э́того
- о́коло того́ (ókolo tovó)about or near that place
- о́коло э́того (ókolo étovo)about or near that place
Spanish algo por ahí, por ahí
- algo por ahíabout or near that place
- por ahíabout or near that place
- a eso deabout or near that place
- a aqueso deabout or near that place
- poco más o menosabout or near that place
- sobre poco más o menosabout or near that place
Swedish däromkring, däromkring
- däromkringabout or near that place
- däromkringabout or around that date or time
- däromkringabout or near to that condition or quality
- däromkringapproximately that number or quantity
Ukrainian десь там, поруч
- десь там (desʹ tam)about or near that place
- поруч (poruč)about or near that place
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
thereabout. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thereabout
“thereabout.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thereabout. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thereabout,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thereabout.
Source: thereabout on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.