roundhouse

American  

[round-hous] / ˈraʊndˌhaʊs /

noun

plural

roundhouses

1. a building for the servicing and repair of locomotives, built around a turntable in the form of some part of a circle.

2. Nautical. a cabin on the after part of a quarterdeck.

3. Slang. a punch in which the arm is typically brought straight out to the side or rear of the body and in which the fist describes an exaggerated circular motion.

4. Also called round trip.  Pinochle. a meld of one king and queen of each suit.

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roundhouse British  

/ ˈraʊndˌhaʊs /

noun

1. a circular building in which railway locomotives are serviced or housed, radial tracks being fed by a central turntable

2. slang boxing

   1. a swinging punch or style of punching

   2. ( as modifier )

      a roundhouse style

3. pinochle a meld of all four kings and queens

4. an obsolete word for jail

5. obsolete a cabin on the quarterdeck of a sailing ship

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Etymology

Origin of roundhouse

First recorded in 1580–90; round ¹ + house

Example Sentences

He left the Air Force in 1962 and set up a martial arts studio in Los Angeles, finding his calling in teaching and delivering roundhouse kicks.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Encircling the footprint of each roundhouse were "middens," haloes of rubbish dumped from the stilt village above, included broken pots, butchered animal bone, and "coprolites" or fossilised faeces.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2024

In the third quarter, he picked off a Washington pass and went in for an uncontested roundhouse dunk.

From Washington Times • Nov. 1, 2023

The late-night blaze took just six minutes to rip through the centre's best-known feature - a reconstructed Iron Age roundhouse that had stood on stilts in the loch for 25 years.

From BBC • Aug. 18, 2023

He extends his leg into a perfect side kick, then brings it back and does the roundhouse.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• bat
• blow
• punch
• shot
• swing