Round: meaning, definitions and examples

Use this word for objects shaped like a circle or a ball, often without a focus on precise mathematical perfection.

• She sat at a round table
• His round face always made people smile

Best used for objects that have a perfect or nearly perfect round shape, especially when talking about geometric shapes or designs.

• They designed a circular logo for the company
• The park has a circular walkway

Preferable when talking about three-dimensional objects that are perfectly round, like balls or globes. This term is often used in scientific contexts.

• The Earth is not a perfect sphere, but it is spherical
• The kid was fascinated by the spherical toy

This word is useful for objects that are elongated circles or egg-shaped, often used in art and design.

• She wore an oval pendant
• The artist painted an oval shape in the center of the masterpiece

Can be used synonymously with 'circular' or 'spherical' in general descriptions of shape. It is versatile and more casual.

• The fruit is perfectly round.
• We sat at a round table.

Typically used in a mathematical or geometrical context, or to describe something that is perfectly round and closed.

• Draw a circle on the paper.
• They formed a circle around the campfire.

Refers to a circular band, usually worn on a finger as jewelry. Can also describe circular shapes with an empty space inside.

• She wore a beautiful diamond ring.
• There was a ring of smoke in the sky.

Often used to describe thin, flat, circular objects. Commonly used in technology or health contexts.

• The computer needs a new hard disk.
• The doctor mentioned a slipped disk in my spine.

Use 'round' when referring to objects or shapes that have a circular shape or to describe rounding a number. It can also be used to describe moving around something.

• The earth is round.
• Please round the number to the nearest whole number.
• She rounded the corner quickly.

Use 'circle' when describing a closed curved shape where all points are equidistant from the center. It can also describe a group of people or things arranged in a circular formation.

• He drew a perfect circle on the paper.
• We all sat in a circle during the meeting.

Use 'encircle' when referring to the act of forming a circle around something or someone, often implying a sense of surrounding completely.

• The soldiers encircled the enemy camp.
• The garden path encircles the fountain.

Use 'surround' to describe enclosing someone or something on all sides. This word often implies a more general sense compared to 'encircle'.

• The trees surround the small cottage.
• A sense of calm surrounds her.