round Hear it!

round¹ Definition

round (ro̵und)

adjective

  1. shaped like a ball; spherical; globular
    1. shaped like a circle, ring, or disk; circular
    2. shaped like a cylinder (in having a circular cross section); cylindrical
  3. curved in shape like part of a sphere or circle
  4. not angular; plump or stout
  5. involving, or done in or with, a circular motion a round dance
    1. not lacking part; full; complete a round dozen
    2. completed; perfected
  7. completed by progressing through a course which, as if circular, returns to the starting point a round trip
  8. constituting, or expressed by, a whole number, or integer; not fractional
  9. expressed in units divisible by ten, one hundred, etc., rather than exactly 500 is a round number for 498, 503, etc.
  10. large in amount, size, etc.; considerable a round sum
  11. mellow and full in tone; sonorous rich round tones
  12. brisk; vigorous and rapid a round pace
  13. outspoken; plain and blunt; straightforward
  14. Phonet. articulated with the lips forming a circular or oval opening; rounded a round vowel

Etymology: ME < OFr roont < L rotundus: see rotund

noun

  1. something round or rounded; thing or part that is spherical, globular, circular, curved, annular, or cylindrical
    1. a rung of a ladder
    2. a crossbar connecting the legs of a chair
  3. the rounded part of the thigh of a beef animal, between the rump and the leg
  4. movement in a circular course or about an axis
  5. round dance
  6. a series or succession of actions, events, etc. that is completed at, or as if at, the point where it began a round of parties
  7. the complete extent; whole range the round of human beliefs
  8. a regular, customary course or circuit, as by a watchman of a station, a doctor of hospital patients, a drinker of a number of bars, etc.
  9. a single serving, as of drinks, to each of a group
    1. a single shot from each of a number of rifles, artillery pieces, etc. fired together, or a shot from a single gun
    2. ammunition for a single shot; cartridge, shell, etc.
  11. a single outburst, as of applause, cheering, etc.; salvo
  12. a circular slice, as of bread
  13. Archery a specified number of arrows shot at the target from a specified distance according to the rules
  14. Games, Sports a single period or division of action, usually one of a series [a round of poker]; specif.,
    1. Boxing any of the timed periods of a fight; a round is now generally limited to three minutes, and the interval between rounds to one minute
    2. Golf a number of holes as a unit of competition, esp. eighteen
  15. Music
    1. a short song for two or more voices, in which the second starts when the first reaches the second phrase, etc. and upon concluding each voice begins again, as in a canon
    2. the ringing in sequence of a set of bells from the smallest to the largest, in change ringing

transitive verb

  1. to make round: often with off
  2. to deprive of angularity or make plump: usually with out
  3. to express as a round number: usually with off
  4. to complete; finish; perfect: usually with out or off
  5. to make a circuit of; pass around we rounded the island
  6. to make a turn about to round a corner
  7. to cause to move in a circular course
  8. Now Rare to encircle; surround
  9. Phonet. to articulate with the lips forming a circular or oval opening

intransitive verb

  1. to make a complete or partial circuit; move in a curved or circular course
    1. to turn; reverse direction
    2. to attack or oppose suddenly or unexpectedly; turn (on)
  3. to become round or plump: often with out
  4. to develop (into) the talk rounded into a plan

adverb

  1. around ( & )
  2. for each of several; to include all in a group not enough to go round
  3. by a circuitous course; in a roundabout way
  4. with a rotating or revolving movement

around

round¹ Related Forms
round′·ness noun
round¹ Idioms

go the round

or go the rounds
  1. to be circulated among a number of people: said of a story, rumor, etc.
  2. to walk one's regular course or circuit, as a watchman does

in the round

  1. with the audience or congregation seated all around a central stage, altar, etc.
  2. in full and completely rounded form, not in relief: said of sculpture
  3. in full and realistic detail

out of round

not having perfect roundness

round about

  1. in or to the opposite direction
  2. in every direction around

round in

Naut. to haul in on (a line)

round to

Naut. to turn the bow of a vessel into the wind

round up

  1. ☆ to drive (cattle, horses, etc.) together; collect in a herd, group, etc.
  2. ☆ Informal to gather, collect, or assemble
round² Definition

round (ro̵und)

transitive verb, intransitive verb

Obsolete to whisper (to)

Etymology: ME rounen (+ unhistoric -d) < OE runian, to whisper: see rune

round Synonyms

round

modif.

  1. Having the shape of a globe

    spherical, globular, spheroid, orbed, orbicular, orbiculate, globe-shaped, globose, ball-shaped, domical, rotund.

  2. Having the shape of a disk

    circular, cylindrical, ringed, annular, oval, disk-shaped.

  3. Curved

    arched, arced, rounded, bowed, looped, whorled, recurved, incurved, coiled, curled.

  4. Approximate

    rough, in tens, in hundreds; see approximate.

  5. Large

    liberal, generous, expansive, extensive; see large 1.

  6. Complete

    rounded, done, accomplished; see finished 1.

  7. Around

    about, near, in the neighborhood of, close to; see approximately.

round, the most inclusive of these words, applies to anything shaped like a circle, sphere, or cylinder, or like a part of any of these; spherical applies to a round body or mass having the surface equally distant from the center at all points; globular is used of things that are ball-shaped but not necessarily perfect spheres; circular is applied to round lines, or round flat surfaces, in the shape of a ring or disk, and may or may not imply correspondence in form with a perfect circle; annular applies to ringlike forms or structures, as the markings in a cross section of a tree

round Synonyms

round

n.

  1. A round object

    circle, ring, orb, globe; see circle 1.

  2. A period of action

    bout, course, whirl, cycle, circuit, routine, performance, tour, beat; see also sequence 1, series.

  3. A unit of ammunition

    cartridge, charge, load; see ammunition, bullet, load 3, shot 2.

  4. A rung

    crosspiece, step, stair, tread; see rung.

go the rounds

circulate, make the rounds, spread, be passed on; see circulate 1.

round Synonyms

round

v.

  1. To turn

    whirl, wheel, spin; see turn 1.

  2. To make round

    curve, convolute, bow, arch, bend, loop, whorl, shape, form, recurve, coil, fill out, curl, mold.

    Antonyms straighten*, flatten, level.

round Usage Examples

Object

  • corner: Round the corner was the Village Shop having a summer sale of Archers goodies.

Converse of object

  • turn: About 10 boats a day need to be turned round in three hours.
  • come: Finally, the bag came round to the lady of the manor.
  • wander: Had a picnic in a park there then wandered round the town for awhile!
  • qualify: Entry Fee - £ 20 I.D. cardholders ( £ 25 non cardholders ) 64 players will qualify through to Blackpool from these qualifying rounds.
  • go: The cry went, round among the communists: The time has come for Change!

Adjective modifier

  • second: Will your jury give Marshall a fairer hearing the second time round?
  • fourth: The month ended with a lengthy midweek Carling Cup trip to Middlesbrough in the fourth round.
  • next: Neither will join the EU in its next round of enlargement, expected in 2004.
  • final: South Africa has already qualified for the final round.

Modifies a noun

  • robin: THE PLATE Tough competition followed the round robin rounds with the overall plate winner going to Stan Smith with Derek Shaw finishing second.
  • trip: City now face a fourth round trip to Southampton on a date to be arrranged in January.
  • barrow: Although mostly Bronze Age, round barrows were also built in the Iron Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods.
  • tower: On the floor the earlier foundations of a round tower, of small diameter, can be traced.

Noun used with modifier

  • ward: The set times at which you have to take your medication may differ from the normal ward rounds.

Followed by a transitive particle

  • off: There is a follow on bout to round off the evening's entertainment.

Preposition: in

  • circle: As well as the leaves she added a curved arrow image below the text: " I must have gone round in circles.

Preposition: of

  • applause: Let's have a big round of applause for Olympia!
  • golf: A three day pass entitles you to up to 6 rounds of golf over three consecutive days at a cost of 55 pounds.
  • championship: Michael Rutter: I feel that there is a definite pattern to each round of the championship this season.
round Quotes

The thought of him has always slightly irritated me.Of course he was a wonderful all-round man, but the act of walking round him has always tired me.

—Beerbohm, Sir (Henry) Max(imilian)

Those trains will run over their tails, if they can, Snorting and sporting like porpoises. Flee The burly, the whirligig wheels of the train, As round as the world and as large again.

—Sitwell, Dame Edith Louisa

As fattening is the first duty of fashionable female life, it must be duly enforced by the rod if necessary. I got up a bit of flirtation with missy, and induced her to rise and shake hands with me. Her face was lovely, but her body was as round as a ball.

—Speke,John Hanning

Cricket, like the novel, isgreat when it presents men in the round, when it shows the salty quality of human nature.

—Aristotle

It is not easy nowadays to remember anything so contrary to all appearances as that officials are the servants of the public; and the official must try not to foster the illusion that it is the other way round.

—Gowers, Sir Ernest Arthur

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day likea football, and it will be round and full at evening.

—Holmes, Oliver Wendell

I placed a jar inTennessee, And round it was, upon a hill. It made the slovenly wilderness Surround that hill.

—Stevens,Wallace

Time that is moved by little fidget wheels Is not myTime, the flood that does not flow. Between the double and the single bell Of a ship's hour, between a round of bells From the dark warship riding there below, I have lived many lives, and this one life Of Joe, long dead, who lives between five bells.

—Skirving, Adam

I can teach it round or flat.

—Johnson, Lyndon B(aines) also called LBJ

   And so kyng Lodgreaunce delyverd hys doughtir Gwenyver unto Merlion, and theTable Rounde.

—Malory, SirThomas   d.1471

When we had given our bodies to the wind, And all the shadowy banks on either side Came sweeping through the darkness, spinning still The rapid line of motion, then at once Have I, reclining back upon my heels, Stopped short; yet still the solitary cliffs Wheeled by meöeven as if the earth had rolled With visible motion her diurnal round!

—Wordsworth,William