about to
On the verge
About to indicates that something is on the verge of happening or will occur very soon.
I was about to leave when the phone rang.
The movie is about to start.
It conveys immediacy and imminent action, suggesting that only a brief moment separates the present from the anticipated event.
When negated, it often expresses firm unwillingness rather than mere timing: I'm not about to apologize for something I didn't do.
- soonIn brief time
- any minute nowOn the verge of occurring
- imminentAbout to occur
- impendingSoon to occur
- on the vergeAt the edge of
prepared · gonna · poised · finna · approaching · nearing · forthcoming · fixing to · ready · on the brink of · on the cusp · primed · in the offing · at hand · around the corner · set · anticipatory · close
- intentionsgoals, aims, I will, purposes, I want
- almost therealmost, nearly, close, imminent, impending
- future markerswill, shall, gonna, finna, fixing to
- future intentionswant to, going to, aim to, will, shall
- future tensesimple future, will be, will do, will have, will call
- modal phrasescan do, could be, may be, might be, must be
temporal imminence
about tofinished with
No longer needing
over and done with · already · far off · nowhere near · far from