roundabout

[ adjective round-uh-bout, round-uh-bout; noun round-uh-bout ]

adjective

1. circuitous or indirect, as a road, journey, method, statement or person.

   Synonyms: tortuous, rambling

2. (of clothing) cut circularly at the bottom; having no tails, train, or the like.

noun

1. a short, close-fitting coat or jacket worn by men or boys, especially in the 19th century.
2. British. a merry-go-round.
3. a circuitous or indirect road, method, etc.
4. Chiefly British. traffic circle.

roundabout

/ ˈraʊndəˌbaʊt /

noun

1. a revolving circular platform provided with wooden animals, seats, etc, on which people ride for amusement; merry-go-round
2. a road junction in which traffic streams circulate around a central island US and Canadian nametraffic circle
3. an informal name for boring mill

adjective

1. indirect or circuitous; devious

adverb

1. on all sides

   spectators standing round about

2. approximately

   at round about 5 o'clock

Word History and Origins

Origin of roundabout¹

1525–35; round ¹ (adv.) + about

Example Sentences

He dropped out from under the lorry near Wandsworth roundabout and disappeared into the capital.

From BBC

Atlas Biomed's registered office is near London's so-called Silicon Roundabout, one of the prime locations in the UK for tech firms.

From BBC

He then described climbing out from under the lorry near Wandsworth roundabout.

From BBC

Gluesenkamp Perez’s roundabout response — about respecting people who do manual labor, building community — petered out in a small sigh.

From Los Angeles Times

After pulling off at junction two and parking in a layby on the A355 near the Pyebush roundabout, the man, in his 30s, was grabbed from his car and robbed of his phone, wallet and keys.

From BBC