round
round Lexical Profile
round Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Shaped like a circle, cylinder, or sphere; having a curved surface with every point on the circumference or surface equidistant from the center.
"They gathered around a large round table in the dining room."
Plump, full, or curving in form rather than thin or sharp.
"The toddler had rosy, round cheeks and a bright smile."
Expressed in convenient units (such as tens, hundreds, or thousands) rather than as an exact figure.
"In round numbers, the renovation will cost about fifty thousand dollars."
Rich, mellow, and resonant in tone or sound.
"The cellist produced a warm, round tone that filled the concert hall."
• noun
Each of a succession of stages or periods in a sporting contest, game, tournament, or negotiation.
"Our debaters advanced to the final round of the national championship."
A regular sequence of activities, visits, or duties performed on a set route or schedule.
"The attending physician makes her morning rounds on the hospital ward at seven o'clock."
A set of drinks bought for all the members of a group at one time, or a single outburst of applause or cheering.
"The keynote speaker received a warm round of applause from the audience."
A circular piece, slice, or cut of food, such as a wheel of cheese, a slice of bread, or a cut of beef from the thigh between the rump and the shank.
"The baker arranged rounds of sourdough dough onto the floured tray."
A musical canon in which three or more voices sing the same melody completely through, each starting at a different predetermined point so that the overlapping parts harmonize.
"The children's choir practiced singing traditional folk songs in a three-part round."
• adverb
British So as to rotate or move in a circle or curve; around.
"The wheels of the old mill turned slowly round."
British To a particular place, especially someone's home or a nearby location.
"Why don't you come round for dinner tomorrow evening?"
British So as to face in the opposite direction.
"She turned round when she heard her name called across the street."
• preposition
British On every side of; surrounding or encircling.
"The students sat round the campfire listening to stories."
British To or in various places throughout an area or building.
"The curator showed the visiting scholars round the museum galleries."
Moving in a curve past or to the other side of a corner, barrier, or obstacle.
"A delivery truck suddenly appeared round the bend in the road."
• verb
To alter a number to one that is less exact but more convenient for calculation, especially to the nearest whole number, ten, or hundred.
"Please round your final answers to two decimal places."
To pass and go around a corner, point, or barrier so as to move in a changed direction.
"The sailboat rounded the buoy and headed back toward the harbor."
To cause something to become circular, curved, or smooth in shape, or to become curved or plump.
"The carpenter used sandpaper to round the sharp edges of the wooden shelf."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English, 'round' and 'around' are often used interchangeably as prepositions and adverbs, whereas American English strongly prefers 'around' for spatial movement and location, reserving 'round' primarily for adjectives, nouns, and verbs.
• Rhymes for round
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Anglo-Norman and Old French 'ront' (feminine 'ronde'), ultimately derived from Latin 'rotundus' ('like a wheel, circular'), which comes from 'rota' ('wheel').