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English (UK)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of roundabout in English

roundabout
noun [ C ]
UK
uk
/ˈraʊnd.ə.baʊt/ us
/ˈraʊnd.ə.baʊt/

roundabout noun [C] (ON ROAD)

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A2
(US traffic circle)
a place where three or more roads join and traffic must go around a circular area in the middle, rather than straight across
 
COLIN Matthieu/hemis.fr/GettyImages
Examples
  • Take the first left at the roundabout.
  • Take the last turning at the roundabout.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Road junctions
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roundabout noun [C] (PLAY EQUIPMENT)

(US merry-go-round)
a flat, round piece of equipment in play areas on which children sit or stand and are pushed round and round
 
tzahiV/iStock/Getty Images Plus/GettyImages
(US carousel)
a large machine at a fair that turns round and has wooden or plastic animals or vehicles on which children ride
Synonym
merry-go-round
 
Neville Mountford-Hoare/Aurora/GettyImages
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Play areas for children
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
roundabout
adjective
uk
/ˈraʊnd.ə.baʊt/ us
/ˈraʊnd.ə.baʊt/
not in a simple, direct, or quick way:
roundabout route We took a roundabout route to avoid the accident.
in a roundabout way He asked me, in a roundabout way, if he could have a salary increase.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Digressing and being indirect or evasive
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(Definition of roundabout from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

roundabout | American Dictionary

roundabout
adjective
us
/ˈrɑʊnd·əˈbɑʊt/

roundabout adjective (NOT DIRECT)

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not simple, direct, or quick:
You took the roundabout way to get here.
roundabout
noun [ C ]
Br
us
/ˈrɑʊnd·əˌbɑʊt/

roundabout noun [C] (CIRCLE)

a traffic circle
(Definition of roundabout from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of roundabout

roundabout
The roundabout way that we change the value without losing the formula is therefore as follows.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
They have wanted war, they have been waging it upon us for three years, but in a clandestine, hypocritical, roundabout manner.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
A police contingent waiting at the roundabout stopped the procession from proceeding.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Wouldn't we get the same result, only in a less roundabout way, by arguing just the first-order issue?
From the Cambridge English Corpus
When people from different cultures and educated in different tongues try to communicate, indirect or roundabout expressions can easily lead to misunderstandings.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The roundabout is a space on which all roads seemingly converge.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
In practice, however, we probably threw away on the swings most of what we had gained on the roundabouts.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The second stage of the route veered close by a roundabout with thunderous heavy traffic.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Our motivation is a bit more roundabout here.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Thus, repress the instantaneous motions of merriment may be seen as a roundabout and obscure way of saying stop laughing.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Well, we proceed in this roundabout manner because we want to make clear that the proof we provide below has a very simple structure.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
What he loses on the swings he may gain on the roundabout.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
He is placed upon an approximately five-foot high square pedestal which is situated on the aforementioned roundabout.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The ten essays together manage to achieve most of these objectives, albeit sometimes in a roundabout and discursive way.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
We therefore proceed in a more roundabout way.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
See all examples of roundabout
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
What is the pronunciation of roundabout?
 

Translations of roundabout

in Chinese (Traditional)
路口上, 環島, 環形交叉路口…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
路口上, 环岛, 环形交叉路口…
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in Spanish
glorieta, rotonda, carrusel…
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in Portuguese
rotatória…
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तिकटी /चौक यातील मधला गोलाकार भाग…
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ラウンドアバウト, ロータリー交差点…
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kavşak, göbek (yol), atlı karınca…
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rond-point, manège, détourné…
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rotonda…
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rotonde, draaimolen, indirect…
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மூன்று அல்லது அதற்கு மேற்பட்ட சாலைகள் சேரும் இடம் மற்றும் போக்குவரத்து நேராக குறுக்கே இருப்பதை விட நடுவில் ஒரு வட்ட பகுதியை சுற்றி செல்ல வேண்டும்…
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(चौराहे का) गोल चक्‍कर…
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વર્તુળ, સર્કલ, જ્યાં ત્રણ કે તેથી વધુ માર્ગો જોડાતા હોય અને વાહનોને સીધા નિકળવાને બદલે મધ્યમાં આવેલ વર્તુળાકાર વિસ્તારને ગોળ ફરીને જ જવું પડે.…
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rundkørsel, karrusel, indirekte…
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rondell, karusell, kringående…
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bulatan jalan, permainan kuda pusing, bulatan…
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der Kreisverkehr, das Karussel, umwegig…
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rundkjøring, karusell, indirekte…
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راؤنڈ اباؤٹ (ایسا چوک جہاں تین یا زیادہ سڑکیں آپس میں ملتی ہوں اور ٹریفک کو سیدھا پار کرنے کی بجائے درمیان میں ایک دائرے کے ارد گرد جانا ہوتا ہے)…
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кружний шлях, карусель, обхідний…
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మూడు అంతకంటే ఎక్కువ రోడ్లు కలిసే గుండ్రటి ప్రదేశం. అక్కడ ట్రాఫిక్ తిన్నగా కాకుండా దాని చుట్టూ తిరిగి వెళ్లాలి…
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রাস্তার ওপরে গোলাকার স্থান যেখানে তিন বা চারটি রাস্তা একসঙ্গে মিশেছে এবং যানবাহন যেখানে ওই গোলাকার স্থান ঘুরে যায়, সোজা রাস্তা পেরিয়ে নয়…
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křižovatka s kruhovým objezdem, kolotoč, plný oklik…
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bundaran, komidi putar, memutar…
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วงเวียน, ม้าหมุน, อ้อม…
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chỗ đường vòng, vòng ngựa gỗ cho trẻ em, thuộc vòng…
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rondo, karuzela, okrężny…
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로터리, 라운드어바웃…
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rotatoria, rotonda, giostra…
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round-trip fare
round-trip ticket
round/around the block phrase
round/around the clock idiom
roundabout
rounded
roundel
rounder
rounders

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