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 Preposition talked to voters round the city
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
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 Pustular lesions will be sharply raised, usually round, and firm to the touch. Claire Wolters, Verywell Health, 12 Mar. 2024
Adverb
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 Cincinnati's Favorite Beer 2024 dates to know Nomination round: Feb. 25-March 2. The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024 ByteDance was valued at $220 billion at its last funding round in 2023, according to CNBC, citing Pitchbook data. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 The conference championship round mirrored a weird postseason for me. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024 The Texas high school girls basketball playoff area round is here, and plenty of Fort Worth teams are fighting to continue their quests for a state championship. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Feb. 2024 The idyllic courtyard blooms year round, featuring hydrangeas in May and June, bellflowers in August and September, and even winter tropical plants in January. Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 12 Feb. 2024 Law enforcement fired a beanbag round, according to the Sheriff’s Office, which is a pillow of pellets fired from a shotgun as a non-lethal weapon, and used tasers on him before sending the two K9s after him. Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 12 Feb. 2024
Noun
As alliances are formed ahead of the second round, the vote could go both ways. Katarina Hoije, Bloomberg.com, 15 Mar. 2024 Those tuning in from the United Kingdom can watch on Sky Sports Golf, who will be showing coverage of the first two rounds from 11:30 a.m. Jack Bantock, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 In his only loss of the day, Pincay finishes third aboard Bob Back in the eighth race. 1996 — Princeton upsets defending national champion UCLA, 43-41, in the first round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball team was hoping to close the gap even further against UC Davis in the opening round of the Big West Tournament on Wednesday afternoon. Dan Arritt, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2024 The top six nominees from the first round of voting will be announced on April 1. Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 Cost can be a deterrent in trying multiple rounds of IVF. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 The strikes were the first round of retaliatory action by the Biden administration for an attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 Drafted two years ago in the third round, Ridder gives the Falcons a budget-friendly option as a backup and developmental QB. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
The pair's third child, Aidan, rounded out their group with his arrival in September 2021. Grace Smith, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Audiences are reconsidering mid-2000s pop cultural events like the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction seen ’round the world at the Super Bowl halftime in 2004, and the media’s cruel treatment of Britney Spears, Timberlake’s ex-girlfriend. Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 The plunging neckline of the dress was rounded, giving her full look a few elevated details. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 15 Mar. 2024 The style was certainly more than Ken-ough to round out Gosling’s run with the Barbie film. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Kai-Wei Teng, Randy Rodriguez, Trevor McDonald, Hayden Birdsong and Jose Cruz rounded out the cuts from the pitching side. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Fractured and rounded by years of geological upheavals and exposure to the sculpting effects of weather, the dells are a cluster of nooks, crannies and blind curves interrupted by the course of Boulder Creek. Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 At Marine Serre, stretchy night-meets-day bodycon pieces, complete with pizza boxes and a caddy as runway accessories, suggest clothes that follow various emergencies and cravings, round the clock. Alice Pfeiffer, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 Emily Blunt, Cynthia Erivo, America Ferrera, Sally Field, Ryan Gosling, Ariana Grande, Ben Kingsley, Melissa McCarthy, Issa Rae, Tim Robbins, Steven Spielberg, Mary Steenburgen, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlize Theron, Christoph Waltz and Forest Whitaker round out the list of presenters. Beatrice Verhoeven, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024
Preposition
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 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, 22 Feb. 2024 The company confidentially filed to go public in 2021, and was valued near $10 billion in a funding round the same year. Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2024 The design was understated, but distinctive with—for now, at least—a gently concave channel running round the outside. David Phelan, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Rain is likely to hit the area round 5 a.m. Tuesday morning. Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 22 Jan. 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

Dictionary Entries Near round

Cite this Entry

“Round.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/round. Accessed 29 Mar. 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 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 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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