an act or instance of going around something, as a circle, course, or traffic pattern, and returning to the starting point.
a series or pattern of occurrences; round.
After the third go-around of questions, the witness was released.
(adverb) to move about
to frequent the society (of a person or group of people)
she went around with older men
(adverb) to be sufficient
are there enough sweets to go round?
to circulate (in)
measles is going round the school
(preposition) to be actively and constantly engaged in (doing something)
she went around caring for the sick
to be long enough to encircle
will that belt go round you?
Also, go round . Satisfy a demand or need, as in Is there enough food to go around? [Mid-1800s]
Same as go about , def. 1.
go around with . Same as go with , def. 1.
. Engage in excited but useless activity. For example, Bill ran around in circles trying organize us but to no avail . This idiom was first recorded in 1933. For what goes around comes around , see under full circle .
First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase go around
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Just 24 hours before the deadly collision, a military helicopter came too close to a different regional jet, which then performed a sudden go-around, according to a list of incidents and accidents from the FAA.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2025
His aircraft quickly aborted the landing, climbed back into the sky and began circling the airport to try again - a flight manoeuvre called a sudden go-around.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2025
He also reflected on telling a 14-year-old Payne in 2008 “that this wasn’t your time” during his first go-around on “X Factor” and promising him that they would meet again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2024
As part of his strategy this go-around, Brown has made it a point to distance himself from the top of his party's ticket.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2024
I wanted to get away from Daisy as soon as I could, but I lost a good thirty minutes having another go-around with Rowdy.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
"The jet stream gets stuck in a loop and it forces other weather systems to go around it," she said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
“You’re always going to have early adopters, but there’s a lot more customers to go around in the $45,000 to $55,000 range.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
While there was much blame to go around, a major cause of the failure, Mr. Tabor contends, was that “Field had rushed everyone and everything.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Once again, not enough humble pie to go around here and a slice should be aiming in this direction.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
The words go around and around in my brain.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
