Link Centre Dictionary

around

UK/əˈɹuːnd/ US/əˈɹaʊnd/ very common informal

adverb

1.

in the area or vicinity

  • “a few spectators standing about”
  • “hanging around”
  • “waited around for the next flight”
Synonyms
2.

by a circular or circuitous route

  • “He came all the way around the base”
  • “the road goes around the pond”
3.

to or among many different places or in no particular direction

  • “wandering about with no place to go”
  • “people were rushing about”
  • “news gets around (or about)”
  • “traveled around in Asia”
  • “he needs advice from someone who”
  • “;”
Synonyms
4.

in a circle or circular motion

  • “The wheels are spinning around”
5.

(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct

  • “lasted approximately an hour”
  • “in just about a minute”
  • “he”
  • “;”
  • “ve had about all I can stand”
  • “we meet about once a month”
  • “some forty people came”
  • “weighs around a hundred pounds”
  • “roughly $3,000”
  • “holds 3 gallons, more or less”
  • “20 or so people were at the party”
6.

in or to a reversed position or direction

  • “about face”
  • “brought the ship about”
  • “suddenly she turned around”
Synonyms
7.

to a particular destination either specified or understood

  • “she came around to see me”
  • “I invited them around for supper”
8.

all around or on all sides

  • “dirty clothes lying around (or about)”
  • “let”
  • “;”
  • “;”
Synonyms
9.

in circumference

  • “the trunk is ten feet around”
  • “the pond is two miles around”
10.

from beginning to end; throughout

  • “It rains all year round on Skye”
  • “frigid weather the year around”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English around, arounde, from a- (from Old English a- (“on, at”)) + Middle English round (“circle, round”) borrowed from French, equivalent to a- + round. Cognate with Scots aroond, aroon (“around”). Displaced earlier Middle English umbe, embe (“around”) (from Old English ymbe (“around”)).

Phrases

  • a lie can run around the world before the truth can get its boots on
  • albatross around one's neck
  • all around
  • around back
  • around one's ears
  • around Robin Hood's barn
  • around the bend
  • around the clock
  • be around

Related words

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.