round

1 of 6

adjective

1
a(1)
: having every part of the surface or circumference equidistant from the center
(2)
: cylindrical
a round peg
b
: approximately round
a round face
2
: well filled out : plump, shapely
3
a
: complete, full
a round dozen
a round ton
b
: approximately correct
especially : exact only to a specific decimal or place
use the round number 1400 for the exact figure 1411
c
: substantial in amount : ample
a good round priceT. B. Costain
4
: direct in utterance : outspoken
a round denunciation
5
: moving in or forming a circle
6
a
: brought to completion or perfection : finished
b
: presented with lifelike fullness or vividness
7
: delivered with a swing of the arm
a round blow
8
a
: having full or unimpeded resonance or tone : sonorous
b
: pronounced with rounded lips : labialized
9
: of or relating to handwriting predominantly curved rather than angular
roundness noun

round

2 of 6

adverb

: around

round

3 of 6

noun

1
a
: something (such as a circle, globe, or ring) that is round
b(1)
: a knot of people
(2)
: a circle of things
2
3
: a musical canon in which each part begins on the same note and is continuously repeated
4
a
: a rung of a ladder or a chair
b
: a rounded molding
5
a
: a circling or circuitous path or course
b
: motion in a circle or a curving path
6
a
: a route or circuit habitually covered (as by a security guard or police officer)
b
: a series of similar or customary calls or stops
They were always together, fighting to cure paralysis. An endless round of fundraisers, Congressional testimony.Diane Sawyer
often used in plural
You see, in election time local politicians, aspirants for office, have a way of making the rounds of the saloons to get votes.Jack London
… no one … was surprised to see him making the TV news rounds within hours of his announced termination …Kristi Owram
especially : a series of regularly scheduled professional calls on hospital patients made by a doctor or nurse
usually used in plural
… if laboratory test results are not available to physicians when they make their routine morning rounds, they may have to delay patient management, repeat their rounds at a later time, and perhaps prolong their patients' hospital stays. David A. Novis and Jane C. Dale
7
: a drink of liquor apiece served at one time to each person in a group
I'll buy the next round
8
: a sequence of recurring routine or repetitive actions or events
went about my round of chores
the newest round of talks
9
: a period of time that recurs in a fixed pattern
the daily round
10
a
: one shot fired by a weapon or by each man in a military unit
b
: a unit of ammunition consisting of the parts necessary to fire one shot
11
a
: a unit of action in a contest or game which comprises a stated period, covers a prescribed distance, includes a specified number of plays, or gives each player one turn
b
: a division of a tournament in which each contestant plays an opponent
12
: a prolonged burst (as of applause)
13
a
: a cut of meat (such as beef) especially between the rump and the lower leg see beef illustration
b
: a slice of food
a round of bread
14
: a rounded or curved part

round

4 of 6

verb (1)

rounded; rounding; rounds

transitive verb

1
a
: to make round
b(1)
: to make (the lips) round and protruded (as in the pronunciation of \ü\)
(2)
: to pronounce with lip rounding : labialize
2
a
b
: to pass part of the way around
3
4
: to bring to completion or perfection
often used with off or out
5
: to express as a round number
often used with off
11.3572 rounded off to two decimal places becomes 11.36

intransitive verb

1
a
: to become round, plump, or shapely
b
: to reach fullness or completion
2
: to follow a winding course : bend

round

5 of 6

preposition

1
: around
2
: all during : throughout
round the year

round

6 of 6

verb (2)

rounded; rounding; rounds

transitive verb

1
archaic : whisper
2
archaic : to speak to in a whisper
Phrases
in the round
1
: in full sculptured form unattached to a background
2
: with an inclusive or comprehensive view or representation
3
: with a center stage surrounded by an audience
a play presented in the round
round on
: to turn against : assail

Examples of round in a Sentence

Adjective The baby has a round face. the owl's big, round eyes a shirt with a round collar Adverb people working there all year round gather round and listen to my story Noun a round of steel to reinforce the wooden beam a busy round of parties during the holiday season Verb (1) carefully rounded the dough and placed it on a cookie tray a monorail for visitors that rounds the park rounded on the track and headed for the finish line Preposition talked to voters round the city
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Along with their distinctive, large black eye patches, giant pandas have short limbs and round bodies. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024 In the grand tradition of Pink Floyd, a round screen hovered above the stage for film reels and closeups of musicians. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2024
Adverb
Evans speaks to police and sits on a wall, with his hands still raised, before he is shot with a bean bag round and falls to the ground. Christian Martinez, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024 Oahu’s North Shore brings surfing enthusiasts year round. Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
But Douglas also made several key moves to establish a young core, including drafting cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, edge rusher Jermaine Johnson and running back Breece Hall in the first two rounds of the 2022 draft. Dennis Waszak Jr., Twin Cities, 19 Nov. 2024 The company recently completed a $30 million fundraising round, backed by major investors including Stanley Druckenmiller and Greg Coffey. Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
Add in your favorite new mystery novel, a wool blanket and some Earl Gray to really round out the wintry vibes and stay cozy until spring has sprung. Will Porter, Architectural Digest, 19 Nov. 2024 Jelly Roll will join Post Malone on most of the tour dates — but not at State Farm Stadium — with Sierra Ferrell rounding out the lineup on select dates. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 19 Nov. 2024
Preposition
Both will be well appreciated in the kitchen round the holidays. Megan Wahn, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2024 After getting rid of the length, Wilkes then worked his way round the ends with thinning scissors to take out some weight from underneath. Amy Sedghi, refinery29.com, 19 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for round 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English round, rounde "spherical, circular, rounded," borrowed from Anglo-French reund, rund, rount, going back to Vulgar Latin *retundus, altered (by presumed vowel dissimilation) from Latin rotundus — more at rotund

Adverb

Middle English, "in a circle," derivative of round, rounde round entry 1

Noun

Middle English rond, round, rounde "spherical body or form, circle," in part derivative of round, rounde round entry 1, in part borrowed from Anglo-French rund, rond (in en rund "round about") and runde (in a la runde "round about"), both nominal derivatives of reund, rund round entry 1

Verb (1)

Middle English rounden "to form a ball, be circular, cut (hair) close around the head," in part derivative of round round entry 1, in part borrowed from Anglo-French runder "to revolve" and Old French rondir "to make round," derivatives of rund, rond round entry 1

Preposition

derivative of round entry 2

Verb (2)

alteration of Middle English rounen, from Old English rūnian; akin to Old English rūn mystery — more at rune

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Preposition

1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of round was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near round

Cite this Entry

“Round.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/round. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

round

1 of 5 adjective
1
a
: having every part of the surface or circumference the same distance from the center
b
: shaped like a cylinder
a round peg
c
: nearly round
a round face
2
3
a
: complete entry 1 sense 1
a round dozen
b
: nearly correct or exact to a certain decimal place
use the round number 1400 for the exact figure 1411
c
: large
a good round sum
4
: moving in or forming a circle
5
: having lifelike fullness
a round character in a story
6
: having fullness of tone
7
: having curves rather than angles
roundish
ˈrau̇n-dish
adjective
roundness noun

round

2 of 5 adverb

round

3 of 5 noun
1
: something (as a circle, globe, or ring) that is round
2
: a song in which three or four singers sing the same melody and words one after another at intervals
3
4
: an indirect or circling path
5
a
: a regularly covered route
a watchman's rounds
b
: a series of calls or stops regularly made
a doctor's hospital rounds
6
: a drink apiece served at one time to each person in a group
7
: a series or cycle of repeated actions or events
opened a new round of peace talks
8
a
: one shot fired by a soldier or weapon
b
: ammunition for one shot
9
: a unit of play in a contest or game
a round of golf
10
: a cut of beef especially between the rump and the lower leg

round

4 of 5 verb
1
a
: to make or become round
b
: to pronounce a sound with rounding of the lips
2
: to go or pass around
rounded the curve
3
: to bring to completion
often used with off or out
4
: to express as a round number
especially : to drop any digits to the right of a given decimal place and increase the last remaining digit by 1 if the first dropped digit is 5 or greater
4.57268 rounded off to three decimal places is 4.573
5
: to follow a winding course

round

5 of 5 preposition
(ˈ)rau̇nd

Medical Definition

round

intransitive verb
: to go on rounds

More from Merriam-Webster on round

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