round table

¹

noun

1. a number of persons gathered together for conference, discussion of some subject, etc., and often seated at a round table.
2. the discussion, topic of discussion, or the conference itself.
3. Round Table, Arthurian Legend.
   1. the table, made round to avoid quarrels as to precedence, about which King Arthur and his knights sat.
   2. King Arthur and his knights.

round-table

²

[ round-tey-buhl ]

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a conference, discussion, or deliberation in which each participant has equal status, equal time to present views, etc.:

   round-table discussions.

round table

¹

noun

1. 1. a meeting of parties or people on equal terms for discussion
   2. ( as modifier )

      a round-table conference

Round Table

²

noun

1. (in Arthurian legend) the table of King Arthur, shaped so that his knights could sit around it without any having precedence
2. Arthur and his knights collectively
3. one of an organization of clubs of young business and professional men who meet in order to further social and business activities and charitable work
4. (in New Zealand) an organization of businessmen supporting policies of the New Right

Word History and Origins

Origin of round table¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300

Origin of round table²

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Everyone boots up inside, gets a cafeteria coffee and chats at big round tables.

From Outside Online

He led me into the conference room and we sat side by side at a huge round table.

From Nautilus

They literally take their ranks off of their uniforms and put them in the middle of this round table and they sit there and they have a forum and discuss what just happened.

From Washington Post

Especially when the partnership is seamlessly integrated, such as the live show, which featured a round table of experts and talent from Bleacher Report and DraftKings.

From Digiday

I say round table, because if it’s round, you can see everybody’s face and you can hear everybody’s debate.

From Essence.com

What Parker said at lunch at the Round Table was usually being repeated at New York parties by the evening.

From The Daily Beast

Dorothy Parker smoke, drank, and slept around—in short, everything her male colleagues in the Algonquin Round Table were doing.

From The Daily Beast

Even the title brings to mind this vital issue: how does Lancelot figure out where to sit at the round table?

From The Daily Beast

But yes, I'd like to 'round-table' that, as Ed Meese would say.

From The Daily Beast

In the summer he hosts a round-table talk show on WLIU FM, the National Public Radio affiliate in Southhampton, NY.

From The Daily Beast

Evidently K. felt ill at ease; evidently he must now be sitting at a round table surrounded by masked figures.

From Project Gutenberg

The round table, if large enough to accommodate many guests, has too large a diameter each way for easy conversation.

From Project Gutenberg

He carried a tray, and went up to a small round table, gleaming with cut-glass and silver, on which supper had been laid.

From Project Gutenberg

They had reached their sitting-room, and upon a small round table stood a great collection of cards and notes.

From Project Gutenberg

Round floor mats, somewhat larger in diameter than the round table tops, are also in demand.

From Project Gutenberg