designate about

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "designate about" is not correct and does not convey a clear meaning in written English.
It is unclear what you intend to express with this phrase, as "designate" typically requires a direct object and does not pair with "about" in standard usage. Example: "Please designate the specific tasks for each team member."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

The government will designate about five funds — really big funds, the kind whose top executives are either billionaires or used to be and hope to be again — as buyers of "legacy securities," financial instruments made out of bundles of loans that have been repackaged and resold.

The New Yorker

Most schools designate about five days to be a crash course in starting college.

Huffington Post

The legislation also would designate about 250,000 acres near the Army's training center at Fort Irwin as wilderness and make permanent four existing off-highway vehicle areas covering 135,000 acres.

Los Angeles Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Last week, during a quick visit to New York, Mr. Lissner talked with Peter Gelb, the Met's general manager-designate, about closer ties.

The New York Times

Since the Landmarks Preservation Commission was created in 1965, it has designated about 1,000 individual landmarks and about 70 historic districts.

The New York Times

He met with Chinese officials about 15 years ago, when they first designated about 10 tourism destinations to market heavily.

The New York Times

Since 2002, community gardens have been regulated by an agreement that designated about 150 gardens for development but preserved or increased protections for about 500 others.

The New York Times

BLOOMBERG NEWS   Buyers at the Ready for European Bank Assets  |  Hedge funds and private equity firms have designated about $76.6 billion to buy noncore European bank assets in the coming years, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, The Financial Times reports.

The New York Times

The firm has taken steps to shore up that portfolio, including by designating about half of its existing holdings and all of its new purchases as hold-to-maturity, which allows for a different valuation of those securities.

The New York Times

The other is Eastville, a neighborhood in Sag Harbor that was designated about 10 years ago and that goes back to the village's days as a whaling mecca in the early 1800's.

The New York Times

And the Obama administration has ruled out drug legalization, despite expanding support for the idea in Latin America, while designating about 60 percent of the federal antidrug budget of roughly $25 billion a year to supply-side efforts, with 40 percent to demand, as the government has for decades.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "designate about" in formal writing. Instead, use constructions like "designate [something] for [purpose]" or "designate [something] as [category]" to ensure grammatical correctness.

Common error

A common mistake is to use "about" after "designate" when intending to specify what the designation pertains to. Replace "designate about" with more precise prepositions like "for", "as", or rephrase to use "regarding" or "concerning".

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of the phrase "designate about" is intended to act as a verb phrase, but Ludwig AI indicates that it is grammatically incorrect. The verb "designate" requires a direct object and is not typically followed by "about".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

33%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "designate about" is grammatically incorrect and should be avoided in formal writing. Ludwig AI confirms this assessment. While the intention might be to specify the topic of designation, clearer and grammatically correct alternatives such as "designate as", "designate for", "designate regarding", or "designate concerning" should be used instead. The limited examples found are primarily from news and media sources, but the incorrectness suggests caution in adopting this phrase.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

designate approximately

Replaces "about" with "approximately" to indicate an estimate of quantity, while maintaining grammatical correctness after "designate".

designate concerning

Uses "concerning" to specify what is being designated, shifting the focus to the subject matter.

designate regarding

Similar to "concerning", "regarding" focuses the designation on a particular topic or issue.

designate in relation to

This phrase clarifies that the designation is being made with respect to something else, providing context.

specify concerning

Substitute designate with specify, to indicate particularization on a certain topic or issue.

assign concerning

Substitute designate with assign, to indicate something is assigned to something else.

name concerning

Substitute designate with name, to indicate something is named to something else.

stipulate concerning

Substitute designate with stipulate, to indicate something is stipulated on a certain topic or issue.

establish regarding

Substitute designate with establish, to indicate something is established on a certain topic or issue.

define regarding

Substitute designate with define, to indicate something is defined on a certain topic or issue.

FAQs

How can I properly use "designate" in a sentence?

Use "designate" followed by a direct object and a preposition like "as" or "for". For example, "designate the area as a protected zone" or "designate funds for research".

What prepositions should I use with "designate"?

Common and correct prepositions to use with "designate" are "as" and "for", depending on the context. Avoid using "about" directly after "designate".

What can I say instead of "designate about"?

Instead of "designate about", consider using phrases like "designate regarding" or "designate concerning" if you need to indicate the topic of the designation. However, rephrasing to use "designate as" or "designate for" is generally clearer.

Is "designate about" grammatically correct?

No, "designate about" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. The verb "designate" typically requires a different preposition, such as "as" or "for", or a rephrasing to use "regarding" or "concerning".