adjective

round

ROWND

adjective

Shaped like a circle or sphere, with no sharp corners.

"The table was round, so everyone had an equal seat."

"She drew a perfectly round circle on the whiteboard."

Complete or whole, especially referring to a number ending in a zero.

"The bill came to a nice round fifty dollars."

noun

One stage or segment of a competition, game, or fight.

"She won the first round easily but struggled in the second."

"The boxer was knocked down in the third round."

A single cartridge or shot fired from a gun.

"He fired off a round before the target moved."

A regular route someone travels while doing a job, such as a doctor visiting patients.

"The nurse started her rounds at six in the morning."

A drink bought for everyone in a group, or the group's turn to buy drinks.

"It's my round — same again for everyone?"

verb

To approximate a number to the nearest whole number, ten, hundred, etc.

"Round 3.7 up to 4 for a quick estimate."

"The cashier rounded the total down to the nearest dollar."

To go around a corner, bend, or obstacle.

"The car rounded the bend just as the light changed."

How to Use Round

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishCircular in shape, a complete whole number, one stage of something, or to approximate a figure.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "around," which is a preposition/adverb of location — "round" can work the same way in British English ("come round for dinner") but isn't always interchangeable in American English.

Common pairings

round trip round of applause round off round number a round of drinks

Word Forms

more round comparative, rounder comparative, rounded past tense, rounded past tense, rounds plural, rounds plural, Rounds plural, rounds singular, rounds singular, most round superlative, roundest superlative

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The table was _____, so everyone had an equal seat.

Etymology

From Old French roont/ront, ultimately from Latin rotundus ("round, circular") — the same root that gives us "rotund."

Antonyms

fillet

Related Words

fillet headband tenderloin

Rhymes for round

pound wound sound bound found hound mound abound ground around rebound impound

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