roundabout

1 of 2

adjective

round·​about ˈrau̇n-də-ˌbau̇t How to pronounce roundabout (audio)
: circuitous, indirect
had to take a roundabout route
roundaboutness noun

roundabout

2 of 2

noun

1
: a circuitous route : detour
2
British : merry-go-round
3
: a short close-fitting jacket worn by men and boys especially in the 19th century
4

Examples of roundabout in a Sentence

Adjective He took a roundabout route to town. In a roundabout way, he told me that my help was not wanted.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
And could this become a roundabout way of bringing species back from extinction? Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 15 July 2024 In a roundabout way, the Warriors turned Chris Paul and Thompson into Melton, Hield and Anderson — three rotation-ready veterans. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 7 July 2024
Noun
The bus involved in the crash was stopped at a roundabout at the apartment complex when the Lawton Chiles Elementary student crawled underneath, according to a previous report from CBS affiliate WKMG-TV. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 25 June 2024 With the encouragement of a Caltrans engineer, the family has been asking the city to apply for a state grant to install removable and relatively low-cost roundabouts to slow down traffic at intersections around Sacramento, including the one where Alena was almost killed. Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 1 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for roundabout 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roundabout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1608, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1734, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of roundabout was in 1608

Dictionary Entries Near roundabout

Cite this Entry

“Roundabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roundabout. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

roundabout

adjective
round·​about
ˈrau̇n-də-ˌbau̇t
: not direct
went a roundabout way

More from Merriam-Webster on roundabout

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