roundabout A2 Topic:Transportation Also spelled round-about US /ˈɹaʊndəˌbaʊt/ See IPA manual Freq #20918 Meanings 1 noun A circular road junction where traffic moves around a central island. Take the second exit at the roundabout. 2 adj Indirect; not going the shortest or most direct way. He explained it in a roundabout way that confused everyone. 3 noun A spinning machine with seats that children ride at a playground or fair. The kids spun round and round on the roundabout in the park. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a circular road junction... circle 2 adj · indirect; not going the... circuitous 3 noun · a spinning machine with... merry-go-roundcarousel Word family Forms roundabouts Derived forms mini-roundaboutroundaboutlyroundaboutness Common collocations roundabout way Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From round + about [from early 20th c.]. Topics Transportation External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # roundabout **Type:** Word **Level:** A2 **Part of speech:** noun, adj **IPA (US):** /ˈɹaʊndəˌbaʊt/ **Frequency rank:** 20918 ## Meanings 1. A circular road junction where traffic moves around a central island. 2. Indirect; not going the shortest or most direct way. 3. A spinning machine with seats that children ride at a playground or fair. ## Examples - Take the second exit at the roundabout. - He explained it in a roundabout way that confused everyone. - The kids spun round and round on the roundabout in the park. ## Derived Forms - mini-roundabout - roundaboutly - roundaboutness ## Etymology From round + about [from early 20th c.]. ## AI Etymology Roundabout comes from round + about [from early 20th c.]. Modern senses include a circular road junction where traffic moves around a central island. and indirect; not going the shortest or most direct way.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as mini-roundabout, roundaboutly, and roundaboutness. ## Topics - Transportation markdown