rounding

American  

[roun-ding] / ˈraʊn dɪŋ /

adjective

1. round or nearly round.

2. of, relating to, or used for making something round.

3. turning, curving, or circling around.

4. pertaining to the mathematical process of rounding.

   a rounding error.

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noun

1. the act or process of making something round.

2. Mathematics.

   1. the process of replacing a number by another number of approximately the same value but having fewer digits.

      To the nearest dollar, the rounding of $27.68 yields $28.

   2. a similar process that specifies one of various rules. Generally, the number is first truncated to one or two digits more than is desired; then the last one or two digits are adjusted in a specified way in order to reflect the magnitude of the original number. In rounding the final digits, 0–4 are simply dropped, 6–9 are dropped after the preceding digit is increased by 1, and 5 is handled in various ways depending on the surrounding digits and the particular convention being followed.

rounding British  

/ ˈraʊndɪŋ /

noun

1. computing a process in which a number is approximated as the closest number that can be expressed using the number of bits or digits available

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Etymology

Origin of rounding

First recorded in 1545–55; round ¹ + -ing ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

To Wall Street, and perhaps the company itself, Nvidia’s gaming business is increasingly a rounding error as it rebrands itself as an end-to-end AI ecosystem.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

From a macro point of view, that’s not even a rounding error.

From Slate • May 11, 2026

The war could lead to little more than a rounding error if the strait reopens soon, according to a new paper from the Dallas Fed External link.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

City, meanwhile, have to face Europe-chasing Everton and Brentford, before rounding off the campaign at home to Champions League contenders Aston Villa.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Then, rounding the corner to the break room, he pointed to the Mars map on the wall.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• bend
• loop