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
3
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
1
a
: something (such as a circle, globe, or ring) that is round
b(1)
: a knot of people
(2)
: a circle of things
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 pluralDiane SawyerYou see, in election time local politicians, aspirants for office, have a way of making the rounds of the saloons to get votes.—Jack London
Jack London… no one … was surprised to see him making the TV news rounds within hours of his announced termination …—Kristi Owram
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
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
rounded; rounding; rounds
1
2
a
b
: to pass part of the way around
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
1
a
: to become round, plump, or shapely
b
: to reach fullness or completion
2
: to follow a winding course : bend
1
: around
2
: all during : throughout
round the year
rounded; rounding; rounds
Synonyms
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
Preposition
talked to voters round the city
Recent Examples on the WebChristian Orozco, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The round tower and walls made up what is believed to be a warehouse district in the port city, archaeologists said.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
Thanks to its array of attachments—from a round brush to a paddle one—there are endless ways to style your hair with the Shark FlexStyle.
—Kylee McGuigan, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2024
Valle Central, Chile, $15 Soft and round, with flavors of peach and a hint of sweetness on the finish, this is basic, good chardonnay.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Sports Plaschke: With USC and UCLA leading the way, women’s tourney slam dunks on the men
March 18, 2024
First round
Purdue def.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Rayah Marshall #13 of the USC Trojans reaches for the rebound against the Texas A&M-CC Islanders in the first half of a first round women’s NCAA Tournament basketball game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 18 Mar. 2024
Blair, a two-sport star in baseball and basketball, hurt his right leg in De La Salle’s first round CIF Open playoff basketball game against Modesto Christian two weeks ago.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024
The comal, a round griddle, is indispensable in a Salvi kitchen, said Vasquez, a cookbook author and writer.
—Naz Deravian, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
Ben Morse, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Cleveland won round two, becoming (as yet) the only person to return to the White House after losing the office.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
The park is open year round, and each season boasts natural beauty, wildlife, and things to do.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2024
The goal is to provide a resource for children dealing with loss year round.
—Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
That said, in the wake of the Academy Awards, there’s no better time to extend the congratulations and pats on the back one more round by honoring the linchpins of the red carpet season — celebrity stylists.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Mar. 2024
And round three arrives at some point Friday and probably consumes at least half the weekend.
—Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
In addition to finding the 9mm handgun with a loaded magazine beside it, officers also found a rifle round in a men’s jacket inside a closet, court documents show.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024
Police also found a rifle round in the pocket of a man’s jacket in the master bedroom closet.
—The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024
Taylor Mims, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
It’s been nearly a decade since the Rams selected a player in the first round of the NFL draft.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Thirty-five of the Wildcat’s 58 all time first round draft picks have been coached by Calipari.
—Richard Davenport, arkansasonline.com, 8 Apr. 2024
The 22-year-old American had led from the first round and looked to be cruising wire-to-wire to his second PGA Tour title in San Antonio before compatriot Denny McCarthy staged a truly remarkable late surge.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
The current war is much more intense and complex than previous rounds of fighting, said Avivi.
—Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Emergency medical services administered one round of Narcan and discovered a gunshot wound in Bartrom’s chest.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 6 Apr. 2024
The team was eventually moved to a hotel in Spokane, which hosted first and second round games in the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
The Huskies missed the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons, both in the AAC, then lost in the first round in the next two after returning to the Big East.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2024
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024
Others are sea coins, which are the bottoms of old bottles that have been perfectly rounded into flawless circles of glass.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Tennessee — one of the states the Great River Road passes through — rounds out the top three at 94.2%.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 4 Apr. 2024
A couple of sandwiches, sliders, soft pretzels and nachos will round out the food menu.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2024
Vergara skipped the necklace, choosing instead to round out the look with a pair of gold bangles on each wrist and oversized sunglasses.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 27 Mar. 2024
The new Cosmic Bloom is tropical, with mandarin citrus flavors, refreshing kiwi essence and a passionfruit punch to round it all out.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The fruit in two forms adds exciting texture and tart-sweetness to round out the flavors of the dish.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
The team will also get about $18 million in cap space from cornerback Xavien Howard’s post-June 1 release, funds that could be used to round out the roster before training camp opens in late July.
—Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
The Eagles lost in the area round last season, their first campaign in Class 5A.
SGP heads to state with win over Boswell
Boswell girls basketball upset No. 2 Hebron on Friday but met its match in the Class 6A regional final.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2024
Then this year, in early January, the blowout of a main cabin door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight, 16,000 feet over Portland, Ore., shortly after takeoff, sounded a boom heard round the world.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Most companies hire freelancers all across the globe to be able to provide essay writing services round the clock and in any timezone.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
My girls live in theirs round the clock, wearing them to school, to practices, and on weekends.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024
The blowout heard round the world amounted to an open invitation for the DOJ to examine whether lax safety procedures the pact was supposed to fix triggered the new disaster.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024
San Francisco sat out the wild card round thanks to securing the top seed in Week 17 of the regular season.
—Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024
Kevin dropped onto his heels and went round the side of the house.
—Thomas Korsgaard, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2023
Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett round out the ranking’s top five.
—Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2023
Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis round out the adventurers with Hugh Grant taking a villainous turn and without a red carpet in sight.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 2 Apr. 2023
Minnesota, Vermont, Washington and New Hampshire round out the top five, which points to states with scenic outdoor areas and active populations living longer lives.
—L'oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune Well, 1 Apr. 2023
Other cider-centric events will round out the 10 days, including bingo night, a cupcake-and-cider pairing, and a single varietal cider night, then culminating with the Hillsboro Hops’ pre-opening game party on April 10.
—oregonlive, 31 Mar. 2023
Nashville studio musicians Ethan Pilzer and Rich Redmond will round out the lineup on bass and drums.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 30 Mar. 2023
On the hunt for simple and beautiful Easter egg designs to round out your Easter decorations on April 9?
—Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 28 Mar. 2023
Elevated leather slides, perfect for an outdoor beach dinner are now 58 percent off, and athletic Under Armour sandals ready for the pool will round your vacation footwear perfectly.
—Gabrielle Porcaro, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
Adjective
Other great reads Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ comes ‘round, ‘round, ‘round this week.
—Christian Orozco, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
The round tower and walls made up what is believed to be a warehouse district in the port city, archaeologists said.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
Thanks to its array of attachments—from a round brush to a paddle one—there are endless ways to style your hair with the Shark FlexStyle.
—Kylee McGuigan, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2024
Valle Central, Chile, $15 Soft and round, with flavors of peach and a hint of sweetness on the finish, this is basic, good chardonnay.
—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Sports Plaschke: With USC and UCLA leading the way, women’s tourney slam dunks on the men
March 18, 2024
First round
Purdue def.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Rayah Marshall #13 of the USC Trojans reaches for the rebound against the Texas A&M-CC Islanders in the first half of a first round women’s NCAA Tournament basketball game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 18 Mar. 2024
Blair, a two-sport star in baseball and basketball, hurt his right leg in De La Salle’s first round CIF Open playoff basketball game against Modesto Christian two weeks ago.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024
The comal, a round griddle, is indispensable in a Salvi kitchen, said Vasquez, a cookbook author and writer.
—Naz Deravian, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Coming off an impressive season last time round, the 21-year-old has really flourished in this year’s March Madness, scoring 30, 23 and 27 points in the opening three games of the tournament.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Cleveland won round two, becoming (as yet) the only person to return to the White House after losing the office.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
The park is open year round, and each season boasts natural beauty, wildlife, and things to do.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 3 Apr. 2024
The goal is to provide a resource for children dealing with loss year round.
—Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
That said, in the wake of the Academy Awards, there’s no better time to extend the congratulations and pats on the back one more round by honoring the linchpins of the red carpet season — celebrity stylists.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Mar. 2024
And round three arrives at some point Friday and probably consumes at least half the weekend.
—Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
In addition to finding the 9mm handgun with a loaded magazine beside it, officers also found a rifle round in a men’s jacket inside a closet, court documents show.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024
Police also found a rifle round in the pocket of a man’s jacket in the master bedroom closet.
—The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
The first round of voting for the Country Power Players’ Choice Award is now open with an open call for nominees and will run through April 14.
—Taylor Mims, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
It’s been nearly a decade since the Rams selected a player in the first round of the NFL draft.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Thirty-five of the Wildcat’s 58 all time first round draft picks have been coached by Calipari.
—Richard Davenport, arkansasonline.com, 8 Apr. 2024
The 22-year-old American had led from the first round and looked to be cruising wire-to-wire to his second PGA Tour title in San Antonio before compatriot Denny McCarthy staged a truly remarkable late surge.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
The current war is much more intense and complex than previous rounds of fighting, said Avivi.
—Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Emergency medical services administered one round of Narcan and discovered a gunshot wound in Bartrom’s chest.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 6 Apr. 2024
The team was eventually moved to a hotel in Spokane, which hosted first and second round games in the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
The Huskies missed the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons, both in the AAC, then lost in the first round in the next two after returning to the Big East.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
There are also notes of black pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, peach, and bright citrus on the palate that round it out and add complexity.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024
Others are sea coins, which are the bottoms of old bottles that have been perfectly rounded into flawless circles of glass.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Tennessee — one of the states the Great River Road passes through — rounds out the top three at 94.2%.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 4 Apr. 2024
A couple of sandwiches, sliders, soft pretzels and nachos will round out the food menu.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2024
Vergara skipped the necklace, choosing instead to round out the look with a pair of gold bangles on each wrist and oversized sunglasses.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 27 Mar. 2024
The new Cosmic Bloom is tropical, with mandarin citrus flavors, refreshing kiwi essence and a passionfruit punch to round it all out.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The fruit in two forms adds exciting texture and tart-sweetness to round out the flavors of the dish.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
The team will also get about $18 million in cap space from cornerback Xavien Howard’s post-June 1 release, funds that could be used to round out the roster before training camp opens in late July.
—Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
Preposition
And there are castles round the world happy to oblige.
—Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
The Eagles lost in the area round last season, their first campaign in Class 5A.
SGP heads to state with win over Boswell
Boswell girls basketball upset No. 2 Hebron on Friday but met its match in the Class 6A regional final.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2024
Then this year, in early January, the blowout of a main cabin door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight, 16,000 feet over Portland, Ore., shortly after takeoff, sounded a boom heard round the world.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Most companies hire freelancers all across the globe to be able to provide essay writing services round the clock and in any timezone.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
My girls live in theirs round the clock, wearing them to school, to practices, and on weekends.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024
The blowout heard round the world amounted to an open invitation for the DOJ to examine whether lax safety procedures the pact was supposed to fix triggered the new disaster.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024
San Francisco sat out the wild card round thanks to securing the top seed in Week 17 of the regular season.
—Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024
Kevin dropped onto his heels and went round the side of the house.
—Thomas Korsgaard, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
Verb
Illinois, Colorado and Missouri round out the top five.
—Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2023
Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett round out the ranking’s top five.
—Chloe Taylor, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2023
Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis round out the adventurers with Hugh Grant taking a villainous turn and without a red carpet in sight.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 2 Apr. 2023
Minnesota, Vermont, Washington and New Hampshire round out the top five, which points to states with scenic outdoor areas and active populations living longer lives.
—L'oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune Well, 1 Apr. 2023
Other cider-centric events will round out the 10 days, including bingo night, a cupcake-and-cider pairing, and a single varietal cider night, then culminating with the Hillsboro Hops’ pre-opening game party on April 10.
—oregonlive, 31 Mar. 2023
Nashville studio musicians Ethan Pilzer and Rich Redmond will round out the lineup on bass and drums.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 30 Mar. 2023
On the hunt for simple and beautiful Easter egg designs to round out your Easter decorations on April 9?
—Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, 28 Mar. 2023
Elevated leather slides, perfect for an outdoor beach dinner are now 58 percent off, and athletic Under Armour sandals ready for the pool will round your vacation footwear perfectly.
—Gabrielle Porcaro, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'round.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Phrases Containing round
Articles Related to round
Dictionary Entries Near round
Cite this Entry
“Round.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/round. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
round
1 of 5 adjective1
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
adjective
ˈrau̇n-dish
round
2 of 5 adverbround
3 of 5 noun1
: 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 on her rounds in the hospital
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 disarmament 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 verb1
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
More from Merriam-Webster on round
Nglish: Translation of round for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of round for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about round
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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