English idiom

round robin

Register · Neutral CEFR C1

Post

Figurative meaning

an arrangement in which everyone takes a turn or competes against everyone else; or a letter sent to many people

Why this phrase?

'Round' reflects the circular rotation through participants; 'robin' no longer contributes a transparent literal meaning to the modern expression.

Example

“The tournament uses a round-robin format so every team plays the others.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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