go-around
noun
an act or instance of going around something, as a circle, course, or traffic pattern, and returning to the starting point.
go-around
American
[goh-uh-round]
/ ˈgoʊ əˌraʊnd /
Also
go-round
noun
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an act or instance of going around something, as a circle, course, or traffic pattern, and returning to the starting point.
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a series or pattern of occurrences; round.
After the third go-around of questions, the witness was released.
go around
British
verb
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(adverb) to move about
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to frequent the society (of a person or group of people)
she went around with older men
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(adverb) to be sufficient
are there enough sweets to go round?
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to circulate (in)
measles is going round the school
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(preposition) to be actively and constantly engaged in (doing something)
she went around caring for the sick
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to be long enough to encircle
will that belt go round you?
go around
Idioms
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Also, go round . Satisfy a demand or need, as in Is there enough food to go around? [Mid-1800s]
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Same as go about , def. 1.
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go around with . Same as go with , def. 1.
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. 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 .
Etymology
Origin of go-around
First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase go around
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.
See Examples For:
Pilots on the Mesa Airlines flight decided that the separation between their craft and the one taking off was insufficient and initiated a go-around, where a landing is aborted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026
Jerry Brown served in the post before voters elected him for a second go-around as governor in 2010.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2025
Captain Heard took the controls and performed a "go-around" where the plane climbs higher, does a big circle and tries again.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 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
The princess grabbed Jack on the next go-around, and between the two, they managed to pull the broom back down to the floor.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
“There is probably plenty to go around for everyone, especially in the current environment which remains compute constrained,” Rasgon said, referring to the idea that there isn’t enough AI chip supply to meet customer needs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
"Now, when someone wins they'll go around the festival site or some of the local pubs with the tarpaulin from the ham, and collect donations for good causes."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
But with protein cereal, muscle-building ice cream and macro-dense popcorn, there’s not enough whey protein to go around.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Chip stocks have had plenty of juice for their gains, but there’s only so much juice to go around.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
I’ve thought about it a lot, and she just can’t go around breeding dangerous unknown superchicken mixes that will have to get killed like Buffy’s chicks.
From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones
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.
