what about
idiom
1
: does that include (someone) : how about (someone)
"We're all going to the beach." "What about Kenny?"
2
: how does that affect (someone or something) : what should be done about (someone or something)
"I need to leave—something has come up." "What about the meeting?" "We'll have to reschedule it."
What about the people who can't afford health insurance?
3
—used to make a suggestion about what could be done
We'll need to talk about this again. What about (meeting) next week?
There's still time. What about playing another game?
4
—used to ask someone to tell one something in response to the thing that one has just said
I like skiing and hiking. What about you? What sports do you like?
Everyone else is coming. What about you?
Examples of what about in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And what about the granting of recent Supreme Court emergency applications that appear to aid and enable the Trump Administration to implement their agenda?
—
Norman Siegel, New York Daily News, 20 July 2025
And then, what about that fit? Taking the Medicine
In a recent TED talk, Karim Lakhani, a Harvard Business School professor, discusses this with a different metaphor: in terms of a patient taking a drug.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
But what about readers who live in multigenerational homes, who face economic precarity or who are navigating structural oppression?
—Ranju Kunwor, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025
But what about stubborn carpet stains that take more effort to remove?
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for what about
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Norman Siegel, New York Daily News, 20 July 2025
And then, what about that fit? Taking the Medicine
In a recent TED talk, Karim Lakhani, a Harvard Business School professor, discusses this with a different metaphor: in terms of a patient taking a drug.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
But what about readers who live in multigenerational homes, who face economic precarity or who are navigating structural oppression?
—Ranju Kunwor, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025
But what about stubborn carpet stains that take more effort to remove?
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for what about
Cite this Entry
“What about.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/what%20about. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share