round

[round]

adjective, round·er, round·est.

having a flat, circular surface, as a disk.

ring-shaped, as a hoop.

curved like part of a circle, as an outline.

having a circular cross section, as a cylinder; cylindrical.

spherical or globular, as a ball.

shaped more or less like a part of a sphere; hemispherical.

free from angularity; consisting of full, curved lines or shapes, as handwriting or parts of the body.

executed with or involving circular motion.

full, complete, or entire: a round dozen.

noting, formed, or expressed by an integer or whole number with no fraction.

expressed, given, or exact to the nearest multiple or power of ten; in tens, hundreds, thousands, or the like: in round numbers.

roughly correct; approximate: a round guess.

considerable in amount; ample: a round sum of money.

brought to completeness or perfection.

full and sonorous, as sound.

vigorous or brisk: a round trot.

straightforward, plain, or candid; outspoken: a round scolding.

positive or unqualified: a round assertion.

noun

any round shape, as a circle, ring or sphere.

a circular, ring-shaped, curved, or spherical object; a rounded form.

something circular in cross section, as a rung of a ladder or chair.

Sometimes rounds. a completed course of time, series of events or operations, etc., ending at a point corresponding to that at the beginning: We waited through the round of many years.

any complete course, series, or succession: The strike was settled after a long round of talks; a round of parties.

Often rounds. a going around from place to place, as in a habitual or definite circuit: a doctor's rounds.

a completed course or spell of activity, commonly one of a series, in some play or sport: the second round of a tournament.

a recurring period of time, succession of events, duties, etc.: the daily round.

an entire range: the round of human capabilities.

a single outburst, as of applause or cheers.

a single discharge of shot by each of a number of guns, rifles, etc.

a single discharge by one firearm.

a charge of ammunition for a single shot.

a single serving, especially of drink, made more or less simultaneously to everyone present, as at table or at a bar: The next round is on me.

round dance.

movement in a circle or around an axis.

Cookery.

Also round of beef.the portion of the thigh of beef below the rump and above the leg.
Informal.round steak.

a slice, as of bread.

Archery. a specified number of arrows shot from a specified distance from the target in accordance with the rules.

one of a series of three-minute periods making up a boxing match: a 15-round bout.

Music.

a short, rhythmical canon at the unison, in which the several voices enter at equally spaced intervals of time.
rounds,the order followed in ringing a peal of bells in diatonic sequence from the highest to the lowest.

Golf. a playing of the complete course.

Cards. a division of play in a game, consisting of a turn each for every player to bid, bet, play a card, deal the cards, or be dealt cards.

adverb

throughout or from the beginning to the end of a recurring period of time: all year round.

Also 'round. around: The music goes round and round.

preposition

throughout (a period of time): a resort visited all round the year.

around: It happened round noon.

verb (used with object)

to make round.

to free from angularity; fill out symmetrically; make plump.

to bring to completeness or perfection; finish.

Jewelry. to form (a gem) roughly (sometimes followed by up); girdle.

to end (a sentence, paragraph, etc.) with something specified: He rounded his speech with a particularly apt quotation.

to encircle or surround.

to make a complete circuit of; pass completely around.

to make a turn or partial circuit around or to the other side of: to round a corner.

to cause to move in a circle; turn around.

Phonetics.

to make the opening at (the lips) relatively round or pursed during an utterance.
to pronounce (a speech sound, especially a vowel) with rounded lips; labialize.
to contract (the lips) laterally.Compare spread(def 14b), unround.

Mathematics. to replace by the nearest multiple of 10, with 5 being increased to the next highest multiple: 15,837 can be rounded to 15,840; then to 15,800; then to 16,000.

verb (used without object)

to become round.

to become free from angularity; become plump.

to develop to completeness or perfection.

to take a circular course; make a circuit, as a guard.

to make a turn or partial circuit around something.

to turn around as on an axis: to round on one's heels.

to reduce successively the number of digits to the right of the decimal point of a mixed number by dropping the final digit and adding 1 to the next preceding digit if the dropped digit was 5 or greater, or leaving the preceding digit unchanged if the dropped digit was 4 or less.

Verb Phrases

round off,

to complete or perfect; finish.
to express as a round number, usually to the nearest multiple of 10.

round out,

to complete or perfect: The new coin rounded out his collection.
to fill out; become rounder: She rounded out so nicely that everyone soon forgot she had been so ill.

round to, Nautical. to turn a sailing vessel in the direction from which the wind is blowing.

round up,

to drive or bring (cattle, sheep, etc.) together.
to assemble; gather: to round up all the suspects in an investigation.

Idioms

in the round,

(of a theater) having a stage completely surrounded by seats for the audience.
in the style of theater-in-the-round: The play should be done in the round.
in complete detail; from all aspects: a character as seen in the round.
(of sculpture) not attached to a supporting background; freestanding.

make the rounds,

to go from one place to another, as in making deliveries, paying social visits, or seeking employment.
Also go the rounds.to be reported or told; circulate: another rumor making the rounds.

Origin of round

1250–1300; (adj.) Middle English rond, round < Old French, stem of ront, earlier reont < Latin rotundus round, circular (see rotund); (noun) Middle English, partly derivative of the adj., partly < Old French rond, ronde (derivative of ront); (v.) Middle English, derivative of the adj.; (adv. and preposition) Middle English, apparently aphetic variant of around

Related formsround·ness, noun

Synonyms for round

9. whole, unbroken. 20. cylinder. 22. cycle, revolution, period.

Antonyms for round

1. angular.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for in the round

round

adjective

having a flat circular shape, as a disc or hoop

having the shape of a sphere or ball

curved; not angular

involving or using circular motion

(prenominal) complete; entirea round dozen

maths

forming or expressed by an integer or whole number, with no fraction
expressed to the nearest ten, hundred, or thousandin round figures

(of a sum of money) considerable; ample

fully depicted or developed, as a character in a book

full and plumpround cheeks

(of sound) full and sonorous

(of pace) brisk; lively

(prenominal) (of speech) candid; straightforward; unmodifieda round assertion

(of a vowel) pronounced with rounded lips

noun

a round shape or object

in the round

in full detail
theatrewith the audience all round the stage

a session, as of a negotiationa round of talks

a series, cycle, or sequencea giddy round of parties

the daily round the usual activities of one's day

a stage of a competitionhe was eliminated in the first round

(often plural) a series of calls, esp in a set ordera doctor's rounds; a milkman's round

a playing of all the holes on a golf course

a single turn of play by each player, as in a card game

one of a number of periods constituting a boxing, wrestling, or other match, each usually lasting three minutes

archery a specified number of arrows shot from a specified distance

a single discharge by a number of guns or a single gun

a bullet, blank cartridge, or other charge of ammunition

a number of drinks bought at one time for a group of people

a single slice of bread or toast or two slices making a single serving of sandwiches

a general outburst of applause, cheering, etc

movement in a circle or around an axis

music a part song in which the voices follow each other at equal intervals at the same pitch

a sequence of bells rung in order of treble to tenorCompare change (def. 29)

a dance in which the dancers move in a circle

a cut of beef from the thigh between the rump and the shank

go the rounds or make the rounds

to go from place to place, as in making deliveries or social calls
(of information, rumour, etc) to be passed around, so as to be generally known

preposition

surrounding, encircling, or enclosinga band round her head

on all or most sides ofto look round one

on or outside the circumference or perimeter ofthe stands round the racecourse

situated at various points ina lot of shelves round the house

from place to place indriving round Ireland

somewhere in or nearto stay round the house

making a circuit or partial circuit aboutthe ring road round the town

reached by making a partial circuit about somethingthe shop round the corner

revolving round a centre or axisthe earth's motion round its axis

so as to have a basis inthe story is built round a good plot

adverb

on all or most sidesthe garden is fenced all round; the crowd gathered round

on or outside the circumference or perimeterthe racing track is two miles round

in all directions from a point of referencehe owns the land for ten miles round

to all members of a grouppass the food round

in rotation or revolutionthe wheels turn round

by a circuitous routethe road to the farm goes round by the pond

to a specific placeshe came round to see me

all year round throughout the year; in every month

verb

to make or become round

(tr) to encircle; surround

to move or cause to move with circular motionto round a bend

(tr)

to pronounce (a speech sound) with rounded lips
to purse (the lips)

Derived Formsroundness, noun

Word Origin for round

C13: from Old French ront, from Latin rotundus round, from rota a wheel

xref

See around

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

Word Origin and History for in the round

round

adj.

late 13c., from Anglo-French rounde, Old French roont (12c., Modern French rond), probably originally *redond, from Vulgar Latin *retundus (cf. Provençal redon, Spanish redondo, Old Italian ritondo), from Latin rotundus "like a wheel, circular, round," related to rota "wheel" (see rotary).

As an adverb from c.1300; as a preposition from c.1600. In many uses it is a shortened form of around. The French word is the source of Middle Dutch ront (Dutch rond), Middle High German runt (German rund) and similar Germanic words.

Of numbers from mid-14c., from earlier sense "full, complete, brought to completion" (mid-14c., notion of symmetry extended to that of completeness). First record of round trip is from 1844, originally of railways. Round heels attested from 1926, in reference to incompetent boxers, 1927 in reference to loose women, in either case implying an inability to avoid ending up flat on one's back.

round

early 14c., "a spherical body," from round (adj.) and Old French roond. Cf. Dutch rond, Danish and Swedish rund, German runde, all nouns from adjectives. Meaning "large round piece of beef" is recorded from 1650s. Theatrical sense (in phrase in the round) is recorded from 1944. Sense of "circuit performed by a sentinel" is from 1590s; that of "recurring course of time" is from 1710. Meaning "song sung by two or more, beginning at different times" is from 1520s. Golfing sense attested from 1775. Meaning "quantity of liquor served to a company at one time" is from 1630s; that of "single bout in a fight or boxing match" is from 1812; "single discharge of a firearm" is from 1725. Sense of "recurring session of meetings or negotiations" is from 1964.

round

late 14c., "to make round," from round (adj.). Sense of "make a circuit round" is from 1590s. Sense of "bring to completeness" is from c.1600; meaning "to approximate (a number)" is from 1934. Meaning "turn round and face, turn on and assault" is from 1882. Round out "fill up" is from 1856. Related: Rounded; rounding.

in the round in Culture

round

A song that can be begun at different times by different singers, but with harmonious singing (see harmony) as the result. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is a round.

Idioms and Phrases with in the round

in the round

Visible from all sides, as in Jerry's done an excellent job in this interview, really portraying the senator in the round. This expression, which dates from about 1800, was at first used for a free-standing piece of sculpture (as opposed to a relief on a wall), and a century later for a theatrical stage (called theater-in-the-round) so placed that the audience could see a performance from all sides. Since the 1920s it has also been used figuratively for someone or something seen three-dimensionally, as in the example.

round

In addition to the idioms beginning with round

round and round
round figures
round off
round on
round out
round peg in a square hole
round robin
round the bend
round trip
round up

also see:

all year round
bring around (round)
come around (round)
get around (round)
in round numbers
in the round
make the rounds
other way round
pull round
rally around

Also see underaround.