round

round / round/ • adj. 1. shaped like or approximately like a circle or cylinder: she was seated at a small, round table. ∎  having a curved shape like part of the circumference of a circle: round arches. 2. shaped like or approximately like a sphere: a round glass ball the grapes are small and round. ∎  (of a person's body) plump. ∎  having a curved surface with no sharp or jagged projections: the boulders look round and smooth. ∎ fig. (of a voice) rich and mellow; not harsh. 3. (of a number) altered for convenience of expression or calculation, for example to the nearest whole number or multiple of ten or five: the size of the fleet is given in round numbers. ∎  (of a number) convenient for calculation, typically through being a multiple of ten. ∎  used to show that a figure has been completely and exactly reached: a round dozen. ∎ archaic (of a sum of money) considerable: his business is worth a round sum to me. 4. archaic (of a person or their manner of speaking) not omitting or disguising anything; frank and truthful: she berated him in good round terms. • n. 1. a circular piece of a particular substance: cut the pastry into rounds. ∎  a thick disk of beef cut from the haunch as a joint. 2. an act of visiting each of a number of people or places: she did the rounds of her family to say goodbye he made the rounds of the city's churches. ∎  a tour of inspection, typically repeated regularly, in which the safety or well-being of those visited is checked: the doctor is just making his rounds in the wards. 3. one of a sequence of sessions or groups of related actions or events, typically such that development or progress can be seen between one group and another: the two sides held three rounds of talks. ∎  a division of a contest such as a boxing or wrestling match. ∎  one of a succession of stages in a sporting contest or other competition, in each of which more candidates are eliminated: the playoffs in the second round. ∎  an act of playing all the holes in a golf course once: Eileen enjoys the occasional round of golf. 4. a regularly recurring sequence of activities or functions: their lives were a daily round of housework and laundry. ∎  Mus. a song for three or more unaccompanied voices or parts, each singing the same theme but starting one after another, at the same pitch or in octaves; a simple canon. ∎  a set of drinks bought for all the members of a group, typically as part of a sequence in which each member in turn buys such a set: it's my round. 5. a measured quantity or number of something, in particular: ∎  the amount of ammunition needed to fire one shot. ∎  Archery a fixed number of arrows shot from a fixed distance. • adv. chiefly Brit. variant of around. • prep. chiefly Brit. variant of around. • v. [tr.] 1. pass and go around (something) so as to move on in a changed direction: the ship rounded the cape and sailed north. 2. alter (a number) to one less exact but more convenient for calculations: we'll round the weight up to the nearest pound the committee rounded down the figure let's just round it off to an even ten dollars. 3. give a round shape to: a lathe that rounded chair legs. ∎  [intr.] become circular in shape: her eyes rounded in dismay. ∎  Phonet. pronounce (a vowel) with the lips narrowed and protruded. PHRASES: in the round 1. (of sculpture) standing free with all sides shown, rather than carved in relief against a ground. ∎ fig. treated fully and thoroughly; with all aspects shown or considered: to understand social phenomena one must see them in the round. 2. (of a theatrical performance) with the audience placed on at least three sides of the stage. make (or go) the rounds (of a story or joke) be passed on from person to person. round about 1. on all sides or in all directions; surrounding someone or something: everything round about was covered with snow. 2. at a point or time approximately equal to: they arrived round about nine. PHRASAL VERBS: round something off make the edges or corners of something smooth: round off the spars with a soft plastic fitting. ∎  complete something in a satisfying or suitable way: I rounded off my visit to Ganu by purchasing a number of exquisite masks. round on make a sudden verbal attack on or unexpected retort to: she rounded on me angrily. round something out make something more complete: the subtle flavors of a milliard round out the meal. round someone/something up drive or collect a number of people or animals together for a particular purpose: in the afternoon the cows are rounded up for milking. ∎  arrest a number of people. DERIVATIVES: round·ish adj. round·ness n.