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to round

to round

1 8.2
Attack someone sharply in speech or writing
  • verb
  • /raʊnd/
: arremeter contra
  • The critics quickly rounded on the new policy, expressing their strong disapproval.

Examples

  • After the speech, the audience unexpectedly rounded on the speaker for his controversial remarks.

  • I can see why it requires Spirit, and maybe Air, but why Water?" Nynaeve rounded on her.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • When Max came up, Daniel rounded on him, too mockingly friendly to be taken as anything but antagonistic.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • "I just brought 'em up here," the wagon driver protested when the angry Confederates rounded on him.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Suspected Islamic militants are rounded up en masse and often held without charge or trial.

    Academic text (2003)
  • I will not aid in the registering, rounding up, or internment of students and colleagues on the basis of their religious beliefs.

    Academic text (2016)
  • Many fans rounded on their team after a disappointing season, demanding accountability from the coach.

Synonyms

to attack
vsto round
538 3.4

To strongly criticize someone or something in public

is similar but often sudden or unexpected in delivery
to lash out
vsto round
78 5.6

Suddenly say angry things about someone by speaking or writing

is sudden sharp criticism that may lack anger
to assail
vsto round
  • Formal
16 8.0

To attack violently, upset someone deeply or criticize them strongly

is limited to sharp verbal criticism rather than physical force
to assault
vsto round
11 5.8

To attack someone strongly in speech or writing

is close but highlights sudden sharp verbal attack
to snipe
vsto round
5 7.7

To criticize someone in a sly, indirect way

is direct and sharp criticism often sudden rather than sly
to round on
vsto round
  • UK
3 8.3

To suddenly attack someone with angry words

is sudden sharp criticism not focused on a turning action

Antonyms

220 1.0

Words or actions that show admiration for someone

Idioms

a round of
  • Informal
14 3.5

A set of drinks bought for everyone, with people taking turns to pay

10 5.2

To keep doing the same thing without making progress

5 8.2

A person who behaves very strangely or does not think clearly

To become so angry or stressed that you cannot think clearly

To come together to show strong support for a leader or the country in danger

in the round
  • Jargon
1 4.7

People sit in a circle so everyone can see and take part

A person who does not fit into a job or group

9.9

To finally do something you have been putting off for a long time

Happens all day and night without stopping

Phrasal Verbs

90 3.2

To bring people, animals, or things together in one place

13 3.5

Make something more complete by adding parts

5 3.6

To add small final touches to make something complete

5 1.4

Move your body so you face the opposite direction

3 8.3

To suddenly attack someone with angry words

to round down
  • Specialized
2 3.5

To reduce a number to the nearest whole number that is not more than it

Move around something or someone in a circle

1 4.5

Make something smooth by removing sharp edges

1 3.3

To change a number to the nearest whole number to make it simpler

1 3.8

To make a sharp edge or corner smooth and curved

1 3.8

Change a number to the nearest whole number

1 4.4

To persuade someone to accept your idea or plan

To call several people by phone one after another

Gather cattle into a group to move or count them

1 4.1

To invite people to your home for a visit or meal

Change your mind because someone persuades you or you learn new facts

To go around the group to hear each person's opinion

to wear round
  • Specialized
9.9

To turn the front of a boat away from the wind so it blows from the other side

Compounds

154 2.5

The first set of matches in a competition where all players or teams play

78 3.0

Happening or available all year

A short time when many people clap to show approval

48 1.6

A journey to a place and back to where you started

Happening all day and all night without stopping

Round Table
  • Literature
13 6.5

A large round table in stories about King Arthur where knights sit as equals

merry-go-round
  • Texting
11 4.1

A repeating cycle of events that seems pointless and has no end

11 3.3

A discussion where people who are equal share ideas about a topic

11 2.3

An occasion of playing all holes on a golf course, usually 18 holes

A round ride with seats shaped like animals that turns for people to sit on

10 2.1

A ticket that lets you travel to a place and back

A set of drinks bought for everyone in a group at the same time

6 9.1

A member of King Arthur's court who sits at the Round Table and is brave and fair

4 1.0

A curved form with no sharp corners like a circle

3 4.0

A competition where each team or player plays every other

1 7.0

A round table where King Arthur and his knights sat as equals

1 4.1

Having a rounded end often found on tools like scissors

A thing with a curved bottom that rolls and is hard to stand

round shot
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A solid metal ball used in cannons in the past

1 3.2

Usual tasks a person does every day

1 5.6

Having a curved bottom rather than a flat one

theater in the round
  • Specialized
1 5.4

A theater where the audience sits around a central stage

1 6.8

A bone that is roughly round in shape, often from animals

quarter round
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A small curved strip of wood or plastic used where a floor meets a wall to hide the gap

1 3.1

A lean cut of beef from the back leg of a cow

round-bottom flask
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A glass container with a round body and a narrow neck used for heating or mixing chemicals

1 5.1

A lean piece of beef from the upper back leg used for roasting or thin slicing

round-nose
  • Specialized
1 4.9

Pliers with smooth rounded jaws used to bend wire and make loops

round file
  • Informal
1 7.8

A joking name for a trash can where unwanted papers go

1 5.5

A letter signed by many people to show a shared opinion

round trip
  • Specialized
1 3.9

The time it takes for data to go and come back over a network

A meeting where people at the same level discuss a subject together

round robin
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A way of giving tasks to computers one after another

1 3.3

People move together in a circle following set steps, often with partners

round hand
  • Archaic
1 9.5

A clear style of writing with large round letters

round file
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A metal tool with a round shape to smooth or widen holes

round arch
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A curved half-circle shape above a door or bridge seen in Roman buildings

1 5.8

A cut of beef from the rear leg used for pot roast

A team that watches a place all day and night to keep it safe

1 2.7

A regular route for delivering newspapers often done by a young person before school

merry-go-round
  • Texting
3.8

A set of images on a website that change automatically or when you click

round angle
  • Specialized
4.6

A full circle that measures 360 degrees

5.7

A large clam you can eat with a hard rounded shell

5.4

Couples perform planned steps while moving in a circle to music guided by a leader

A small tree from East Asia that makes round orange fruits with sweet peel and sour flesh

A cord of tissue on each side of the womb that runs to the outer female genital area

9.3

A small long thin fish that lives near coasts in the western Atlantic

8.1

A large tent that holds people for a circus show

round window
  • Specialized
7.6

A small opening in the inner ear wall that leads to the part that senses sound

round whitefish
  • Specialized
9.3

A freshwater fish with a bronze back and white belly from northern lakes and rivers

round-arm
  • Specialized
7.3

A way of using the arm that swings out at shoulder height to throw or hit in sports like cricket

round-fruited
  • Specialized
4.3

A plant or tree that grows round fruit like berries

A garden plant with a round bulb and purple flower head used for food and decoration

9.9

A North American orchid with two round leaves and greenish white flowers on one stalk

round-nose
  • Specialized
6.0

A bullet with a rounded tip that is less likely to go through things

9.9

A brown mushroom with a pink stem and smooth round spores that grows on wood

round-trip light time
  • Specialized
9.6

The time it takes for a light signal to travel to a spacecraft or planet and back

A small animal like a rat that lives in Florida wetlands and has a round tail

8.2

A quick collection of money from a group for a gift or charity

How Harsh

to vilify
39 7.9
to lambaste
3 8.0
rebuke
22 6.8
to round
1 8.2
to criticize
653 3.3
to comment
720 1.7

Surface Forms

round infinitive
rounded past
rounded past participle
rounding present participle
rounds third person singular

Etymology

A helpful way to remember round meaning to attack or criticize suddenly is to think of someone turning quickly to face and attack another; the idea of turning 'round' gives the sense of a sudden verbal attack.