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Definition of round preposition from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

round

preposition
 
 
/raʊnd/
 
/raʊnd/
(especially British English)
(North American English usually around)
Idioms
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  1.  
     in a circle
    • the first woman to sail round the world
    • The earth moves round the sun.
  2.  
     on, to or from the other side of something
    • Our house is round the next bend.
    • There she is, coming round the corner.
    • (figurative) There must be a way round (= a way of solving) the problem.
  3.  
     on all sides of somebody/something; surrounding somebody/something
    • She put her arms round him.
    • He had a scarf round his neck.
    • They were all sitting round the table.
  4.  
     in or to many parts of something
    • She looked all round the room.
  5. to fit in with particular people, ideas, etc.
    • He has to organize his life round the kids.
    Which Word? around / round / aboutaround / round / about
    • Around and round can often be used with the same meaning in British English, though around is more formal:
      • The earth goes round/​around the sun.
      • They live round/​around the corner.
      • We travelled round/​around India.
      • She turned round/​around when I came in.
      In North American English only around can be used in these meanings.
    • Around, round and about can also sometimes be used with the same meaning in British English:
      • The kids were running around/​round/​about outside.
      • I’ve been waiting around/​round/​about to see her all day.
      In North American English only around can be used in these meanings. About or around can be used in both British English and North American English to mean ‘approximately’:
      • We left around/​about 8 o’clock.
    6. Word OriginMiddle English: from the Old French stem round-, from a variant of Latin rotundus ‘rotund’.
Idioms
a millstone around/round your neck
  1. a difficult problem or responsibility that it seems impossible to solve or get rid of
    • My debts are a millstone around my neck.
    • Unemployment was an economic millstone around the country’s neck.
round here
  1. near where you are now or where you live
    • There are no decent schools round here.
See round in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee round in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: round

Nearby words

influence
verb
 
 
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OPAL spoken words
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