what about

idiom

: does that include (someone) : how about (someone)

"We're all going to the beach." "What about Kenny?"

: 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?

—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?

—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 that conference between Rhaenyra and Alicent? —

Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 5 Aug. 2024 Louise can fix her patients’ hearts, but what about her own?! —

Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 24 July 2024 And what about those very old Apollo poo bags left on the lunar surface, teeming with microbiota? —

Longreads, 19 July 2024 And what about pickle cravings, or cravings for food high in salt? —

wendy Wisner, Parents, 24 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for what about

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'what about.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.