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around

around

1.0
To go to many different places
  • adverb
  • /əˈraʊnd/
translation icon : por ahí
  • It feels great to wander around a little bit.
  • move around
  • look around
  • shop around

So a bat, as it flies around, is sending out clicks.

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Examples

  • And my quip is, 'I'm not going to be around to see it.'

    Academic text (2011)
  • I can move it all around, change the colors.

  • Would you mind if I had a look around, sir?

  • And I can keep on pushing this around as much as I want.

  • Let's spread the challenge around, OK?

  • I'm just gonna look around, if that's okay.

  • There are lots of people rushing around, all of them pretty as a nutria.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • It feels great to wander around a little bit.

  • I often see my friends around town after school.

  • We explored the park, wandering around without a specific plan.

Synonyms

about
vsaround
438 1.0

In or around a place, moving from one part to another

describes movement to many places without a clear direction
all over the place
vsaround
  • Informal
283 4.8

In a confused, disorganized way with things or thoughts scattered

can mean scattered movement but stresses disorder and chaos
here and there
vsaround
138 1.7

In different places and not all together

emphasizes random movement rather than visits to nearby spots
to round
vsaround
88 3.0

Move around something following a curved path

is broader, meaning movement across many locations without circular path
hither and thither
vsaround
  • Archaic
1 9.3

In many different directions and places

is the more neutral common term for movement without pattern

Antonyms

to stay put
  • Informal
133 2.0

Remain in the same place without moving

Idioms

In many different countries on all continents

Very near in place or happening soon

In the opposite order, direction, or situation

Happens all day and all night without stopping

To make big positive changes in your life after hard times

9 9.1

Having sex with many different people without a steady partner

7 2.2

People sitting near a fire to talk and relax

There is enough for everyone to have some

6 8.1

A person who has a lot of experience from many situations

6 4.6

To be much better than someone at doing something

To use your power to make others do what you want

To make someone do what you want by charming them

The most important thing that makes life keep going, like money or love

A constant problem or responsibility that is hard to get rid of

Having extra fat around the waist

around the bend
  • Offensive
1 9.3

To be very confused or act in a strange way

To take part in a traditional May Day dance in a circle around a tall decorated pole

To sail around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America, often in dangerous weather

1 9.9

People in a community spread it as gossip

To take a long, unnecessary route to reach a place or answer

To avoid saying something directly by talking a long time before answering

To talk or act in a long, roundabout way to avoid the main point

Behaving as if you are the most important person and others do not matter

Talk in a relaxed, joking way and make stories bigger to be funny

Compounds

14 1.0

A short time spent moving on foot in a place without a clear destination

Happening all day and night without stopping

go-around
  • Specialized
4 8.4

Stopping an approach or attempt to try again, for example when a plane pulls up instead of landing

A man who is kind, helpful, and liked by others

1 7.7

An indirect way to avoid a rule or problem

reach-around
  • Jargon
1 9.9

A secret unfair action to get help or advantage

1 6.0

A children's game where players hold hands, walk in a circle, and fall down while singing

1 9.9

Money given during elections to get people to vote for a candidate or pay small local costs

ring-around-a-rosy
  • Baby Talk
8.0

A children's game where players hold hands in a circle, sing, and fall down

Negative ideas that lead people to treat those with mental health problems unfairly

How Wide

everywhere
1.0
all over
1.0
around
1.0
here and there
138 1.7

Surface Forms

around positive

Morphology

around = round (semi-transparent) = a + round

The connection to 'round' is recognizable, but this 'here and there' sense is a broader extension from circular or surrounding movement.

Etymology

Around comes from the old parts a- meaning 'on' and round meaning 'circle', so it originally meant being 'on the circle'. Think of walking here and there 'on the circle', and you get why around can mean moving to many different places without a clear direction.