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verb + about

97 phrasal verbs

arse about
C1

To waste time doing silly or unproductive things; to behave foolishly or irresponsibly.

balls about
C1

(British, vulgar slang) To waste time or behave in a foolish, unproductive manner.

bally about
C1

(Dated British slang) To waste time or behave in a foolish, aimless manner.

bandy about
B2

To mention or use a word, name, or idea repeatedly and carelessly, often without full understanding.

bang about
B1

To move around noisily, making loud banging or crashing sounds.

bash about
B2

To treat someone or something roughly, hitting or knocking them in various directions.

bat about
B2

To discuss ideas informally and casually; to knock or hit something in various directions.

be about
A2

To concern or relate to a particular topic; or to be present and active nearby.

beat about
B2

To avoid getting to the main point of something; to talk around a subject.

boss about
B2

To tell people what to do in a domineering, overbearing way, especially without the right to do so.

brace about
C1

A nautical term: to swing the yards of a square-rigged ship to the opposite side, especially when tacking or changing course.

bring about

To cause something to happen, especially a significant change or event.

bucket about
C1

To move in a rough, uncontrolled way, especially of a vehicle being tossed around in bad conditions.

bugger about
B2

To waste time or treat someone in an inconsiderate, unhelpful way (British, vulgar).

buggerise about
C1

Australian vulgar variant of 'bugger about': to waste time or act irresponsibly.

buzz about
B1

To move around busily and energetically, or for rumours and excitement to circulate widely.

care about

cast about

clown about
B2

To behave in a silly, playful, or deliberately comedic way, often to amuse others.

come about
B1

To happen or occur, especially as the result of a series of events or circumstances.

cut about
C1

To move around casually or travel about an area; also, to slash or cut something in multiple places.

dart about
B1

To move rapidly and repeatedly in different directions with sudden changes of course.

dick about
B2

(British, vulgar informal) To waste time doing nothing useful, or to treat someone inconsiderately.

doss about
C1

To spend time idly without doing anything useful.

faff about
B2

To waste time by doing things in a disorganized, ineffective, or unnecessarily fussy way.

fall about
B2

To laugh so hard that you lose control of your body.

fanny about

fart about

ferret about
C1

To search for something by looking or feeling around in a careful, persistent way, especially in hidden or cluttered places.

fetch about
C1

A nautical term meaning to turn a ship around or bring it onto a new course.

fiddle about
B1

To waste time on unimportant things, or to touch or adjust something repeatedly in a nervous or purposeless way.

flail about
B2

To move one's arms or legs wildly and without control in all directions.

fluff about

fool about
B1

To behave in a silly, playful, or irresponsible way, or to waste time.

footle about
C1

To waste time doing trivial or purposeless things; to fuss ineffectually.

forget about
A2

To stop thinking about, remembering, or worrying about someone or something.

fuck about
B2

British vulgar slang for wasting time, behaving foolishly, or treating someone inconsiderately.

futt about
C1

A rare British euphemistic slang expression meaning to waste time, behave foolishly, or do nothing useful.

get about

give about
C1

An archaic or dialectal expression meaning to distribute or pass something around.

go about
B1

To approach or deal with a task in a particular way; or to move around doing ordinary activities.

go about to
C1

An archaic or literary expression meaning to attempt or intend to do something; equivalent to 'be about to' in older English.

hack about
B2

To cut or alter something in a rough, careless, or clumsy way; also to interfere with something carelessly.

hang about
A2

To stay in a place doing nothing, or to wait for someone; also used as an exclamation meaning 'wait a moment'.

hedge about
C1

To surround something with so many conditions, qualifications, or restrictions that it becomes unclear or overly limited.

hop about
A2

To move around with quick, light jumps or to move busily from place to place

horse about
B1

To play in a boisterous, rough, or silly manner, often when one should be doing something more serious.

jump about
A2

To jump or move energetically in different directions; to jump repeatedly without a set direction.

kick about
B1

To discuss ideas informally without reaching a conclusion; to be left lying around unused; or to be present somewhere without a clear purpos

knock about

know about
A2

To have information, knowledge, or awareness regarding a subject, person, or situation.

lark about

lay about

laze about

loaf about

loll about
B2

To relax or rest in a lazy, physically limp way without doing anything in particular.

mess about
B1

To waste time, behave in a silly way, or treat someone carelessly.

mill about
B2

To move around in a disorganised, aimless way, typically as part of a crowd.

monkey about
B1

To behave in a silly, playful, or irresponsible way.

mope about
B1

To move around slowly and aimlessly in a gloomy or dejected state, feeling sorry for oneself.

move about
A2

To change position or location, either within a space or more broadly by relocating frequently.

muck about
B1

To behave in a silly, aimless, or time-wasting way, or to treat someone carelessly.

nose about

order about
B1

To give someone a series of commands in a domineering or disrespectful way.

piss about

play about
B1

To behave in a playful or unserious way; to experiment with something casually.

poke about
B2

To explore or search a place or situation casually, often out of curiosity

potter about
B2

To spend time in a relaxed way doing small, undemanding tasks without any clear plan or urgency.

prat about
B2

British informal: to behave in a silly or time-wasting way, often making a fool of oneself.

pull about

push about
B2

To treat someone in a bossy or bullying way, telling them what to do or intimidating them.

put about
C1

To spread information, rumours, or stories, often unofficially or maliciously; also a nautical term for changing a ship's course.

putter about
B2

To spend time doing small, unimportant tasks in a leisurely and unhurried way.

rattle about
B1

To make a rattling noise while moving loosely in a container; or (of a person) to live or move around in a space that is too large.

roll about
A2

To roll or move in various directions without a fixed course, or to laugh uncontrollably.

root about
B1

To search through a place or collection of things by moving things around energetically, like an animal digging.

run about

run about with

screw about
B2

To waste time, behave irresponsibly, or treat someone in an inconsiderate manner. (British English variant of 'screw around'.)

see about
B1

To attend to, arrange, or enquire into something that needs dealing with

set about
B2

To begin doing something with determination, or to attack someone physically.

shift about

shove about

sit about

sling about

slob about

splash about

tack about

talk about

think about

To direct one's mental attention toward something, or to consider a possibility.

thrash about

throw about

tit about

turn about

twat about

wheel about

worry about