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all-around

American  
[awl-uh-round] / ˈɔl əˌraʊnd /
Also all-round

adjective

  1. able to do many things; versatile.

    an all-around player.

  2. broadly applicable; not specialized.

    an all-around education.

  3. inclusive; comprehensive; complete.

    an all-around failure.
all-around British  

adjective

  1. (prenominal) the US equivalent of all-round

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of all-around

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

All around in the city here are visitors from Germany, Holland, Japan, China, and they all know that name.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

All around the valley, companies have begun to accommodate employees who are in the office almost nonstop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

All around, a sad display of more haste than good judgment.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025

All around him, workers are cutting the leather into the right shape to hand it to the machinist.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2025

All around me the pots clanked, knives stomped, and the sound of sizzling steak swirled through the air.

From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.