round·about
ˈrau̇n-də-ˌbau̇t 
: circuitous, indirect
had to take a roundabout route
roundaboutness
noun
1
: a circuitous route : detour
2
British
: merry-go-round
3
: a short close-fitting jacket worn by men and boys especially in the 19th century
4
Examples of roundabout in a Sentence
Adjective
He took a roundabout route to town.
In a roundabout way, he told me that my help was not wanted.
Recent Examples on the Web
John Tamny, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
There’s always a connection to me as a performer live onstage, but there are also dramaturgical decisions made to have something between us, to be sometimes inaccessible or roundabout.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
The city is reconstructing the roundabout conjoining the two roads as a part of its $22 million overhaul of Ray White, slated for completion by the summer of 2027.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roundabout
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Adjective
Put another way, Coyle is building on her 2014 acknowledgement that GDP has lacking qualities, as do economic statistics broadly in her view, all of which is a heavy throat-clearing, roundabout way of getting back to the anecdote that begins this review.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
There’s always a connection to me as a performer live onstage, but there are also dramaturgical decisions made to have something between us, to be sometimes inaccessible or roundabout.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025
Noun
During the closure, traffic will not be able to exit north or west from the roundabout.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
The city is reconstructing the roundabout conjoining the two roads as a part of its $22 million overhaul of Ray White, slated for completion by the summer of 2027.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roundabout
Cite this Entry
“Roundabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roundabout. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.
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