# around

Pronunciation: say "uh-ROWND" /əˈɹaʊnd/

## Adverb

1. Approximately; close to a particular number, amount, or time without being exact.
   - Simple: Close to a certain number or amount, but not exact.
   - _The flight takes around seven hours from here._
   - _She earns around fifty thousand dollars a year._
5. In or to various places, or among various people, often while exploring, searching, or making inquiries.
   - Simple: From place to place or person to person, sometimes to explore, search, or ask questions.
   - _The tourists wandered around for the rest of the afternoon._
   - _He drove around looking for somewhere to park._
8. Added to some verbs to show that time is spent idly or without achieving anything.
   - Simple: Used with a verb to show doing something with no real purpose.
   - _He wasted the whole morning fooling around online._
   - _We just lounged around instead of studying for the exam._
13. So as to rotate partly or fully, or to come to face the opposite direction.
   - Simple: So that someone or something turns or faces the other way.
   - _He whirled around at the sound of footsteps._
   - _Turn around so I can see the back of your jacket._
10. So as to move in a circle or along a roughly circular path.
   - Simple: In a way that moves in a circle or loop.
   - _The cyclists rode around for one more lap._
   - _The little plane circled around above the field._
15. From one state, mood, or opinion to an opposite or very different one, often bringing agreement or awareness.
   - Simple: From one opinion or state to a very different one.
   - _His parents slowly came around to the marriage._
   - _A patient explanation won the skeptics around._
16. So as to gather near something or close in upon it.
   - Simple: So as to be near or to gather close to something.
   - _Reporters clustered around as she stepped out of the car._
   - _As soon as the storyteller opened her book, the children crowded around to hear every word._
17. Into another order or arrangement, especially the reverse of the original, as when things are switched.
   - Simple: Into a different order or position, often the opposite one, as when two things change places.
   - _Swap the first two words around and the sentence reads better._
   - _He thinks the cat chose him, but it was really the other way around._

## Preposition

2. At or to various places throughout a space or area.
   - Simple: In or to many different parts of a place.
   - _The company now has offices around the world._
   - _He spent the summer traveling around Europe._
3. Near a particular place or thing; in its immediate vicinity.
   - Simple: Close to a place or thing, not far from it.
   - _The best shops are clustered around the old market square._
   - _A crowd was gathering around the stage entrance._
4. In a circle or closed curve that encloses something.
   - Simple: In a ring that surrounds something on all sides.
   - _The protesters formed a tight ring around the building._
   - _She wrapped a wool scarf around her neck._
6. Centered on a particular subject or theme; concerning it.
   - Simple: About a subject or idea, or centered on it.
   - _The novel is structured around a single grieving family._
   - _Their debate revolved around tax policy._
9. Along the outer edge of an area and back to the starting point.
   - Simple: All the way along the edge of something and back to the start.
   - _We walked all the way around the lake and ended up right back at the car._
   - _The sailors raced around the island and returned to harbor._
12. Along a path that curves past an object, keeping it to the inside of the bend.
   - Simple: Along a curved path that bends past something.
   - _The cyclist swept around the bend at high speed._
   - _He guided the boat around the rocky point._
14. Used to show a way of avoiding or getting past a difficulty or rule, or of managing in spite of it.
   - Simple: Used to show a way of avoiding a problem or rule, or of dealing with it without being stopped.
   - _The engineers finally found a way around the software bug._
   - _The company used a loophole to get around the new tax law._

## Adjective

7. Present nearby; in the immediate area. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Nearby and able to be found or seen.
   - _Ask Sam whether he's around this afternoon._
   - _Call me if anything comes up, because I'll be around all weekend._
11. Still living or in existence; not gone or dead. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Still alive, or still here in the world.
   - _Her great-grandmother is still around and tells wonderful stories._
   - _Hardly any manual typewriters are around these days._

## Origin

From Middle English around, formed from the prefix a- (from Old English a-, "on, at") plus round ("circle"), which was borrowed from French. It is related to Scots aroond and replaced the earlier Middle English word umbe.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/around (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).