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• round table
  round table

  noun

  a number of persons gathered together for conference, discussion of some subject, etc., and often seated at a round table.
• round-table
  round-table

  adjective

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

  noun

  (in Arthurian legend) the table of King Arthur, shaped so that his knights could sit around it without any having precedence

round table

¹ American  

Also roundtable

noun

• round tables
  plural

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. Arthurian Legend. Round Table,

   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.

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round-table ² American  

[round-tey-buhl] / ˈraʊndˌteɪ bəl /

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.

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Round Table ¹ British  

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

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round table ² British  

noun

1. 1. a meeting of parties or people on equal terms for discussion

   2. ( as modifier )

      a round-table conference

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• round tables
  plural

Etymology

Origin of round table¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300

Origin of round-table²

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

round table round-table Round Table

I joined Stevens, the shop owner, and one other national reporter at a round table and we interviewed the congresswoman for about 20 minutes.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026

But unfortunately, by the time Rausch steps up to defend him, the innocent comic is beyond any chance of clemency at the banishment round table.

From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026

Adjacent to the cuisine center is a breakfast nook with a round table.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 18, 2026

But both stayed true to each other and restored our faith in humanity - by one promise, to never write each others names on the black slate at the round table.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026

At the restaurant they were seated side by side at a round table with a revolving platter of spareribs and egg rolls and chicken wings, which, they concurred, all tasted the same.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

At his only public event on Friday — a nearly two-hour round-table with national leaders and sporting officials about college athletics — he ridiculed members of the media who asked about Iran and Noem.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2026

And on “Brand New City,” she takes in the scene surrounding her, noting that “‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ plays on the stereo,” while “We quote all our friends / Like they’re round-table poets.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025

The Northern Ireland Policing Board has backed his call for round-table talks on the issue with Benn.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2025

Mr. DeSantis said during a round-table event on defamation he hosted in February.

From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2023

An image appeared, the first Marvellers sitting at a round-table covered with food.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

In Poland, Solidarity and Lech Wałęsa walked into the Round Table talks as the uncontested voice of the nation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025

He co-chaired the India-UK Round Table from 2000-2005 and was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1983.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025

“The Bright Sword” distinguishes itself from more straightforward Arthurian legends by focusing on the characters on the far end of the Round Table, far from the star power of Arthur and Merlin.

From Seattle Times ● May 14, 2024

Pizza chains, notably Pizza Hut and Round Table Pizza, began by cutting an estimated 1,280 delivery jobs this year, per a Wall Street Journal report.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2024

A tingle King of. the rebels—the King of the Hundred Knights—had with his own forces two-thirds of the total number to which the Round Table was ever to grow.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White