- 1大約、左右、上下（放在數字或時間後面，等於中文的「……左右」）
"Thereabouts" means near that place, that time, or that number — but not exactly. It almost always comes at the end, after you have already said a rough figure, and it is usually joined on with "or": "It costs three hundred dollars or thereabouts." "He was born in 1950 or thereabouts." You can also use it about place: "She lives in Tainan or thereabouts." What it really does is protect you. You are not sure of the exact number, so you say the number you think is close, then add "or thereabouts" to tell the listener: don't hold me to this. It feels a little formal and a little old-fashioned — in everyday speech people are more likely to say "or so", "around", "about", or "give or take". You will meet "thereabouts" more in writing, in news reports, and in the speech of older or more careful speakers. Though actually, notice something odd: the word looks like it should mean "about there", and with place it does. But English speakers use it far more often for numbers and times than for places. If you only ever use it after a number, you will sound completely natural.
組成there + abouts. "There" is the old word for that place, and "abouts" means "around, on all sides". So the whole thing is "around there" — and English then stretched "there" from place to time and to numbers, which is why you can say "$300 or thereabouts".
同家族的字
- whereaboutsbuilt the same way — where + abouts — meaning roughly where someone or something is
- hereaboutshere + abouts: around here, in this area
- aboutthe same word inside it; the -s ending is an old adverb ending
原始詞典資料7 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
thereaboutsadv/ðɛəɹəˈbaʊts/
- 1
Synonym of thereabout:
- [W]e reſolv'd to put into a ſmall River, which however had a Depth enough of Water for us, and to ſee if we could, either over Land, or by the Ship's Pinnace, come to know what Ships were in any Port thereabouts.
- Quite a few minutes would be spun out, for instance, at the smallish town of Chirk, but to me the dalliance was generally worthwhile, except in wet weather, because of the increasing beauty of the wooded hill scenery thereabouts.
- 2
Synonym of thereabout:
- We ſtay'd by it a quarter of an Hour or thereabouts, 'till the Powder in the Eyes, and Mouth, and Ears of the Idol blew up; and we could perceive had ſplit and deform'd the Shape; […]
- 3
Synonym of thereabout:
- 4
Synonym of thereabout:
- Fiue or ſix thouſand horſe I ſed, I will ſay true, or thereabouts ſet downe, for Ile ſpeake truth.
- 5
obsoleteSynonym of thereabout:
- 6
obsoleteSynonym of thereabout:
- Cam. [i.e., Canidus.] Our Fortune on the Sea is out of breath, And ſinkes moſt lamentably. Had our Generall Bin what he knew himſelfe, it had gone well: Oh his [i.e., he] ha's giuen example for our flight, Moſt groſſely by his owne. Eno[barbus]. I, are you thereabouts? Why then goodnight indeede.
- Cam[illo]. I dare not know (my Lord.) Pol[ixenes]. How, dare not? doe not? doe you know, and dare not? Be intelligent to me, 'tis thereabouts: For to your ſelfe, what you doe know, you muſt, And cannot ſay, you dare not.
thereaboutsnoun/ˈðɛəɹəbaʊts/
- 1
Location; whereabouts.
- True, he had stopped at Langston Bucket by chance, and there was no reason why Mr. Boke should theorise as to his thereabouts.
- My companions are not far off, and are aware of my thereabouts.
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。