Round
ROUND, adjective
1. Cylindrical; circular; spherical or globular. round is applicable to a cylinder as well as to a globe or sphere. We say, the barrel of a musket is round; a ball is round; a circle is round
2. Full; large; as a round sum or price.
3. Full; smooth; flowing; not defective or abrupt.
In his satires, Horace is quick, round and pleasant.
His style, though round and comprehensive -
4. Plain; open; candid; fair.
ROUND dealing is the honor of man's nature.
Let her be round with him.
5. Full; quick; brisk; as a round trot.
6. Full; plump; bold; positive; as a round assertion.
A round number, is a number that ends with a cipher, and may be divided by 10 without a remainder; a complete or full number. It is remarkable that the W. cant, a hundred, the Latin centum, and Sax. hund, signify properly a circle, and this use of round may have originated in a like idea.
ROUND, noun
1. A circle; a circular thing, or a circle in motion.
With rounds of waxen tapers on their heads.
Knit your hands, and beat the ground in a light fantastic round
2. Action or performance in a circle, or passing through a series of hands or things and coming to the point of beginning; or the time of such action.
Women to cards may be compared; we play a round or two; when used, we throw away.
The feast was serv'd; the bowl was crown'd; to the king's pleasure went the mirthful round
So we say, a round of labors or duties.
We run the daily round
3. Rotation in office; succession in vicissitude.
4. A rundle; the step of a ladder.
All the rounds like Jacob's ladder rise.
5. A walk performed by a guard or an officer round the rampart of a garrison, or among sentinels, to see that the sentinels are faithful and all things safe. Hence the officer and men who perform this duty are called the rounds.
6. A dance; a song; a roundelay, or a species of fugue.
7. A general discharge of fire-arms by a body of troops, in which each soldier fires once. In volleys, it is usual for a company or regiment to fire three rounds.
A round of cartridges and balls, one cartridge to each man; as, to supply a regiment with a single round or with twelve rounds of cartridges.
ROUND, adverb
1. On all sides.
Thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round Luke 19:43.
2. Circularly; in a circular form; as, a wheel turns round
3. From one side or party to another; as, to come or turn round Hence these expressions signify to change sides or opinions.
4. Not in a direct line; by a course longer than the direct course. The shortest course is not the best; let us go round
All round in common speech, denotes over the whole place, or in every direction.
ROUND about is tautological.
ROUND, preposition
1. On every side of; as, the people stood round him; the sun sheds light round the earth. In this sense, around is much used, and all is often used to modify the word. They stood all round or around him.
2. About; in a circular course, or in all parts; as, to go round the city. He led his guest round his fields and garden. he wanders round the world.
3. Circularly; about; as, to wind a cable round the windlass.
To come or get round one, in popular language, is to gain advantage over one by flattery or deception; to circumvent.
ROUND, verb transitive
1. To make circular, spherical or cylindrical; as, to round a silver coin; to round the edges of any thing.
Worms with many feet, that round themselves into balls, are bred chiefly under logs of timber.
2. To surround; to encircle; to encompass.
Th' inclusive verge of golden metal that must round my brow.
Our little life is rounded with a sleep.
3. To form to the arch or figure of the section of a circle.
The figures on our modern medals are raised and rounded to very great perfection.
4. To move about any thing; as, the sun, in polar regions, rounds the horizon.
5. To make full, smooth and flowing; as, to round periods in writing.
To round in, among seamen, to pull upon a slack rope, which passes through one or more blocks in a direction nearly horizontal.
ROUND, verb intransitive
1. To grow or become round
The queen, your mother, rounds space.
2. To go round as a guard.
- They nightly rounding walk.
To round to, in sailing, is to turn the head of the ship towards the wind.
ROUND, verb intransitive To whisper; as, to round in the ear. obsolete