Whereabouts
/ˈweər.ə.baʊts/
Definitions
The place where a person or thing is.
/ˈweər.ə.baʊts/
The police are investigating the suspect's whereabouts.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're playing hide-and-seek. Your whereabouts are where you're hiding! It's about knowing where someone or something is.
👶 For kids: Whereabouts means where something or someone is. Like, what's the whereabouts of your toy car?
More Examples
I have no idea of his current whereabouts.
Can you tell me the whereabouts of the file I left on the desk?
She sent a text to let us know her whereabouts.
How It's Used
"The police are trying to determine the whereabouts of the missing child."
"Providing false information about someone's whereabouts can lead to legal trouble."
From 'where' + 'abouts'. The 'abouts' indicates a general or approximate location. The term emerged in Middle English.
The word has been used since at least the 15th century to indicate location.
Memory tip
Think of 'where' and 'abouts' combined to ask 'Whereabouts are you?'