round

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "round" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it as a noun (e.g. The sun is round.), an adjective (e.g. A round table.), an adverb (e.g. We drove round and round the block.), or a verb (e.g. I round up the total.). Example sentence: We were walking around the round lake.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Sport

Travel

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

53 human-written examples

There's got to be a way round it so maybe it is time for the FA to stand up and start punishing people for doing it".

The Guardian - Sport

Should Macclesfield make it to the fourth round for only the second time in their history and get paired away from home in a televised match against one of the Premier League big boys, it would be the equivalent of a lottery win.

The Guardian - Sport

YouTube, meanwhile, thinks that is only right to count channel video views for videos that are still actually present on the channels - which means that whenever YouTube got round to reviewing the music majors' channels on its site, a massive cut was always going to be in order.

The Guardian - Tech

Are even the French finally coming round to the idea that smoking in movies is a dying trend?

The Guardian - Film

BBC1 was marginally down on the 4.1 million viewers who turned in five years ago, with ITV suffering a more precipitous drop from 1.3 million last time round.

The Guardian

Round it developed a penumbra of specialist spinning and weaving towns, from Stockport in the south to Bury and Bolton in the north.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

7 human-written examples

As for the rest of the papers, here's the PoliticsHome list of top 10 must-reads, here's the ConservativeHome round-up of the politics stories in today's papers and here's the New Statesman's list of top 10 comment articles.

The Guardian

But, as usual, I will also be flagging up any breaking political news, posting summaries with a round-up of all the day's developments, and highlighting the most interesting political articles on the web.

The Guardian

Members of a well-known London football dynasty that also numbers Les, Dennis, Bradley and Clive among its members, the pair will conduct the draw at approximately 2pm, with five different third-round matches either ongoing or still to begin.

The Guardian - Sport

April to October are the best months Book it: Argeus Tourism & Travel (00 90 384 341 4688; cappadociaexclusive.com) offers a year-round, four-day guided mountain-bike tour of Cappadocia from £583, including hotel accommodation, some meals and bike rent.

The Guardian - Travel

Departures year-round For many the Falklands will always conjure up images of war, but today they are increasingly a venue for tourism.

The Guardian - Travel

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "round" as a verb, consider the context. "Round out" implies completing something, while "round on" suggests suddenly attacking someone.

Common error

Avoid using "round" interchangeably with "around" in all contexts. While "round" can function as an alternative to "around" (particularly in British English), "around" is generally preferred for spatial relationships and approximations.

Linguistic Context

The word "round" functions as a multifaceted term, serving as a noun, adjective, verb, adverb and preposition. This flexibility allows it to describe shapes, cycles, stages, and actions. Ludwig AI provides examples demonstrating its diverse applications.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

38%

Sport

24%

Travel

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

6%

Science

6%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The word "round" is a versatile term functioning as a noun, adjective, verb, adverb and preposition, with diverse meanings ranging from describing shapes to indicating stages in a competition. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and widely used. Its frequency is "very common", particularly in News & Media and Sport contexts. It's important to differentiate its usage from "around", particularly as a preposition, to avoid common errors. Remember "round" can mean completing or curve as well as indicate an imminent attack.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

circular

Focuses specifically on the shape, emphasizing the two-dimensional aspect of being round.

spherical

Highlights the three-dimensional, ball-like nature of an object.

cycle

Refers to a recurring sequence or pattern, often used when "round" implies repetition.

bout

Indicates a stage or segment, typically in a competition or activity, similar to "round" in sports contexts.

tour

Implies a journey or route, similar to "round" when referring to a series of visits or stops.

unit of ammunition

A specific term that represents what round also means as projectile shot from firearm.

daily rhythm

Replicates the sense of something in recurrence or the way something can be repeated daily.

one shot

Emphasizes the action of shooting a round, mostly used with firearms.

complete

In the context of adjectives, it means the same as a complete dozen of something.

attack

Alternative to the verb when round means to face or assaul something.

FAQs

How can "round" be used as a verb?

The verb "round" can mean to shape something into a curve, as in "The carpenter rounded the edges of the table". It can also mean to complete or fill out, like "She rounded out her education". Another usage is to turn past a boundary, for example, "He rounded the corner".

What are some synonyms for "round" as an adjective?

As an adjective, "round" can be replaced with "circular", "spherical", or "cylindrical", depending on the specific shape being described.

Is it correct to use "round" instead of "around"?

In certain contexts, particularly in British English, "round" can be used instead of "around" to indicate location or direction, as in "I look round the room". However, "around" is generally more common and widely accepted.

What does "round" mean in the context of sports?

In sports, "round" typically refers to a stage in a competition, such as a qualifying "stage" of a championship or one of the specified segments of a boxing match.