Nearabouts
Nearabouts means "approximately" or "around this place." A sturdy old term that’s still right at home in Southern and Appalachian speech.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Hearing 'nearabouts' is more of a thing that happens when you're out in the country. But it's common. Hillbilly Dude Says...
Hearing 'nearabouts' is more of a thing that happens when you're out in the country. But it's common. Pronunciation
[NEER-uh-bouts]
/ˈnɪɹəˌbaʊts/
/ˈnɪɹəˌbaʊts/
Meaning & Usage
- Approximately / Roughly (adverb)
Elmer:
It’s nearabouts eight o’clock, reckon.
It’s nearabouts eight o’clock, reckon.
Estel:
Good enough - supper’s waitin’.
Good enough - supper’s waitin’.- Somewhere Around Here (adverb/adjective)
Mamaw:
You’ll find the well pump nearabouts the old oak.
You’ll find the well pump nearabouts the old oak.
Papaw:
Ain’t moved since ’52.
Ain’t moved since ’52.★ When spoken naturally, the first syllable softens to "neer’bouts." It’s often paired with time or distance: "nearabouts dark," "nearabouts a mile," "nearabouts the crossroads." ★
Origin and Etymology
From older English "nigh about," meaning "close to." The combined form "nearabouts" has lived on longest in Southern and Appalachian speech.
Usage Notes
Still common in informal talk; rarely written outside dialect or storytelling. Often paired with other regional approximations like "round about" or "pert’ near."