Phrasal verb
boss about
Definition
phrasal verb. to tell someone what to do in an annoying way, especially when you do not have the right to give them orders.
phrasal verb. to give orders to someone in a domineering or overbearing manner; implies an abuse of authority or an irritating display of superiority.
Examples
“Stop trying to boss me about.”
“She was tired of her older brother always trying to boss her about whenever their parents were out.”
“The junior manager was widely disliked for his tendency to boss about his colleagues, despite having no formal authority over their daily tasks.”
Examples
simple
“Stop trying to boss me about.”
contextual
“She was tired of her older brother always trying to boss her about whenever their parents were out.”
complex
“The junior manager was widely disliked for his tendency to boss about his colleagues, despite having no formal authority over their daily tasks.”
Usage
often used in the continuous form or with 'try to' to express annoyance.
Teaching tip
this is a more informal and British-leaning alternative to 'boss around'; both versions are common, but 'about' is frequently used in UK English to suggest aimless or repetitive behavior.
Pitfall
He bosses about me.
He bosses me about.
when the object is a pronoun like 'me', it must go between the verb and the particle.
Phrasal verb
Particles
about
Separability
optional
Pattern
boss + object + about
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/boss-about