Definition

Phrasal Verb (verb phrase)

1. To rotate or spin: "go round" means to turn or revolve around a central point.

   • The wheel began to go round slowly. (The wheel started to rotate.)

2. To be sufficient for everyone: "go round" means to be enough in quantity to be distributed to all people in a group.

   • There isn't enough food to go round. (The food is insufficient for everyone.)

3. To visit someone or a place: "go round" means to go to someone's home or a location, typically for a short visit.

   • I'll go round to her house after work. (I will visit her home.)

4. To circulate (of information or rumors): "go round" means to pass from person to person or to be widely spread.

   • A strange story is going round the office. (A strange story is being told throughout the office.)

Usage Examples

• (The Earth rotates around the Sun.)
• (The chairs are insufficient for each guest.)
• (Let's visit the bakery.)
• (Rumours are circulating.)

Advanced Usage

• "to go round in circles": to engage in repetitive, unproductive activity or discussion without making progress.

  • We've been arguing for hours, just going round in circles. (We are repeating the same points without reaching a conclusion.)

• "what goes round comes round": a proverb meaning that actions (especially negative ones) will eventually have consequences for the person who did them.

  • He was rude to everyone, but what goes round comes round — now no one helps him. (His negative behaviour is now affecting him.)

Variants and Related Words

• Round (adj): shaped like a circle or sphere.

  • The table has a round top. (The table top is circular.)

• Roundabout (n): a road junction where traffic moves in a circle.

  • Turn left at the roundabout. (Turn left at the circular junction.)

Synonyms

• Rotate: to turn around an axis.
• Circulate: to move or spread among people.
• Visit: to go to a person or place for a short time.
• Suffice: to be enough for a purpose.

Phrasal Verbs

• Go round with: to spend time with someone regularly.

  • He goes round with a group of musicians. (He spends his time with that group.)

• Go round to: to visit a specific person or place.

  • I went round to my friend's flat last night. (I visited my friend's flat.)

Related Idioms

• Go round the houses: to take a long, indirect route or to discuss something in a roundabout way.

  • Stop going round the houses and tell me the truth. (Stop avoiding the direct answer.)

• Make the world go round: to be the essential or motivating force in life (often said of money or love).

  • Money makes the world go round. (Money is what drives the global economy.)