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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

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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Etymology

Origin of round table¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300

Origin of round-table²

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

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

From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026

A retired police detective, a crime novelist and a psychologist will be among the players sitting at the round table on the new series of The Traitors, which kicks off on New Year's Day.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

Hayden Bloomfield was among those who watched the Budget at a round table event in Chatham.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2025

And at a heated round table, they both brutally turned on him, voting him out.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025

Instead a large round table had been set up in the center of the hall, with tall chairs all around it where men might sit and talk as peers.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin