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 round1. (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 about1. 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.

round round robin a petition, especially one with signatures written in a circle to conceal the order of writing; the term was originally (in the mid 18th century) used by sailors, and was frequently referred to as a nautical term.
Round Table the table at which King Arthur and his knights sat so that none should have precedence, and which came to represent their chivalric fellowship. It was first mentioned in Wace' Roman de Brut (1155); from the 15th century, the name has been given to a large circular table preserved at Winchester, bearing the names of Arthur and his most famous knights.

Round Table was also subsequently used for something regarded as resembling Arthur's Round Table as an institution, such as an assembly of knights for the purpose of holding a tournament and festival, especially that instituted by King Edward III in 1345. The name has also been applied to various natural or artificial antiquities seen as having associations with King Arthur.

Since 1927, Round Table has also been the name of an organization for professional people between the ages of 18 and 40, intended to promote community service and international understanding.
round tower a high tower of circular plan tapering from the base to a conical roofed top, typically found in Ireland; the purpose of such round towers has been debated, but it seems likely that they were intended as the sign of dominance of an area rather than having strategic importance in themselves.

round. Anything circular, or almost circular, such as a round (i.e. semicircular) arch, round-arched style (Rundbogenstil), round (as opposed to prismatic) billet, round church (i.e. circular on plan), round moulding (e.g. torus), round pediment (i.e. segmental or semicircular), round ridge (i.e. with a half-cylindrical crest or ridge-tile), round tower (as in Irish round towers with conical caps and certain other bell-towers in England and Italy), and round window (as in a Catherine-wheel or rose-window).

round1
A. of the form of a ball XIII;

B. full, complete XIV;

C. vigorous, severe XIV; plain, straightforward XVI. ME. ro(u)nd — OF. ro(u)nd-, inflexional stem of ro(o)nt, earlier rëont (mod. rond):- Rom. *retundus, for L. rotundus ROTUND.
Hence sb. XIV, vb. XIV, adv. XIII; prep., perh. aphetic of AROUND XVII.

round2 (arch.) whisper. OE. rūnian, ME. ro(u)ne = OS. rūnon, MLG., MDu. rūnen, OHG. rūnēn; f. OE. rūn, ME. ro(u)n dark saying, counsel, RUNE; with parasitic d.