roundabout

American  

[round-uh-bout, round-uh-bout, round-uh-bout] / ˌraʊnd əˈbaʊt, ˈraʊnd əˌbaʊt, ˈraʊnd əˌbaʊt /

adjective

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

   Synonyms:

   tortuous, tortuous, rambling, rambling

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

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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 British  

/ ˈraʊndəˌbaʊt /

noun

1. a revolving circular platform provided with wooden animals, seats, etc, on which people ride for amusement; merry-go-round

2. US and Canadian name: traffic circle.  a road junction in which traffic streams circulate around a central island

3. an informal name for boring mill

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adjective

1. indirect or circuitous; devious

adverb

1. on all sides

   spectators standing round about

2. approximately

   at round about 5 o'clock

Etymology

Origin of roundabout

1525–35; round ¹ (adv.) + about

Example Sentences

Some opera singers hoped that the actor’s jibes might actually prove beneficial for the form in a roundabout way.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

The main house featured an elaborate sculpture of a stallion trampling a dragon in the roundabout out front.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

But Madrid's imposing Victory Arch, built in the 1950s on a busy roundabout to celebrate the victory of Franco's fascist-backed nationalists in the 1936-1939 civil war, is a standout example of the symbols that linger.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

The government arrived at that figure in a roundabout manner.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

Was this Jefferson’s roundabout way of suggesting that he and Adams had in effect been acting out a timeless political argument?

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis