round

Universal Words adjective, adverb, preposition, noun, verb adjective (rounder, roundest) 1 shaped like a circle or a ball: a round table / plate * These glasses suit people with round faces. * The fruit are small and round. * Rugby isn't played with a round ball. * the discovery that the world is round * The child was watching it all with big round eyes (= showing interest). * a T-shirt with a round neck seealsoROUND-EYED, ROUND-TABLE 2 having a curved shape: the round green hills of Donegal * round brackets (= in punctuation) * She had a small mouth and round pink cheeks. 3 [onlybeforenoun] a round figure or amount is one that is given as a whole number, usually one ending in 0 or 5: Make it a round figure-say forty dollars. * Two thousand is a nice round number-put that down. * Well, in round figures (= not giving the exact figures) we've spent twenty thousand so far. roundness noun [U] (written): His face had lost its boyish roundness. adverb (especially BrE) (AmE usually around) For the special uses of round in phrasal verbs, look at the verb entries. For example, the meaning of come round to sth is given in the phrasal verb section of the entry for come. 1 moving in a circle: Everybody joins hands and dances round. * How do you make the wheels go round? * The children were spinning round and round. * (figurative) The thought kept going round and round in her head. 2 measuring or marking the edge or outside of sth: a young tree measuring only 18 inches round * They've built a high fence all round to keep intruders out. 3 on all sides of sb/sth: A large crowd had gathered round to watch. 4 at various places in an area: People stood round waiting for something to happen. 5 in a circle or curve to face another way or the opposite way: He turned the car round and drove back again. * She looked round at the sound of his voice. 6 to the other side of sth: We walked round to the back of the house. * The road's blocked-you'll have to drive the long way round. 7 from one place, person, etc. to another: They've moved all the furniture round. * He went round interviewing people about local traditions. * Pass the biscuits round. * Have we enough cups to go round? 8 (informal) to or at a particular place, especially where sb lives: I'll be round in an hour. * We've invited the Frasers round this evening. -< AROUND IDIOMS round about 1 in the area near a place: in Oxford and the villages round about 2 approximately: We're leaving round about ten. * A new roof will cost round about ｣3000. moreatTIME preposition (especially BrE) (AmE usually around) 1 in a circle: the first woman to sail round the world * The earth moves round the sun. 2 on, to or from the other side of sth: Our house is round the next bend. * There she is, coming round the corner. * There must be a way round the problem. 3 on all sides of sb/sth; surrounding sb/sth: She put her arms round him. * He had a scarf round his neck. * They were all sitting round the table. 4 in or to many parts of sth: She looked all round the room. 5 to fit in with particular people, ideas, etc: He has to organize his life round the kids. -> AROUND IDIOMS round here near where you are now or where you live: There are no decent schools round here. noun stage in process 1 a set of events which form part of a longer process: the next round of peace talks * a new round of pay bargaining * the final round of voting in the election in sport 2 a stage in a sports competition: the qualifying rounds of the National Championships * Rafter was knocked out of the tournament in the third round. 3 a stage in a boxing or WRESTLING match: The fight only lasted five rounds. 4 a complete game of golf; a complete way around the COURSE in some other sports, such as SHOWJUMPING: We played a round of golf. * the first horse to jump a clear round regular activities / route 5 a regular series of activities: the daily round of school life * Her life is one long round of parties and fun. 6 a regular route that sb takes when delivering or collecting sth; a regular series of visits that sb makes: Dr Green was on her daily ward rounds. * (BrE) a postman on his delivery round * Four soldiers patrolled the area and an officer made his rounds at frequent intervals. seealsoMILKROUND, PAPERROUND drinks 7 a number of drinks bought by one person for all the others in a group: a round of drinks * It's my round (= it is my turn to pay for the next set of drinks). bread 8 (BrE) a whole slice of bread; sandwiches made from two whole slices of bread: Who's for another round of toast? * two rounds of beef sandwiches circular object 9 a circular object or piece of sth: Cut the pastry into rounds. of applause / cheers 10 ~ of applause / cheers a short period during which people show their approval of sb/sth by CLAPPING, etc: There was a great round of applause when the dance ended. shot 11 a single shot from a gun; a bullet for one shot: They fired several rounds at the crowd. * We only have three rounds of ammunition left. song 12 (music) a song for two or more voices in which each sings the same tune but starts at a different time IDIOMS do / go the rounds (of sth) 1 (BrE) (AmE make the rounds) if news or a joke does the rounds, it is passed on quickly from one person to another 2 (BrE) (also make the rounds AmE, BrE) to go around from place to place, especially when looking for work or support for a political CAMPAIGN, etc: He's doing the rounds of insurance firms. * The Vice-President made the rounds of television talk shows. in the round 1 (of a work of art) made so that it can be seen from all sides: an opportunity to see Canova's work in the round 2 (of a theatre or play) with the people watching all around a central stage verb 1 [VN] to go around a corner of a building, a bend in the road, etc: The boat rounded the tip of the island. * We rounded the bend at high speed. 2 to make sth into a round shape; to form into a round shape: [VN] She rounded her lips and whistled. * [V] His eyes rounded with horror. 3 [VN] ~ sth (up / down) (to sth) to increase or decrease a number to the next highest or lowest whole number PHRASALVERBS round sth<->off (with sth) 1 (AmE also round sth<->out) to finish an activity or complete sth in a good or suitable way: She rounded off the tour with a concert at Carnegie Hall. 2 to take the sharp or rough edges off sth: You can round off the corners with sandpaper. round on sb to suddenly speak angrily to sb and criticize or attack them: He rounded on journalists, calling them 'a pack of vultures'. round sb/sth<->up 1 to find and gather together people, animals or things: I rounded up a few friends for a party. * The cattle are rounded up in the evenings. 2 if police or soldiers round up a group of people, they find them and arrest or capture them: A number of suspects were rounded up and questioned. relatednounROUND-UP