variants or less commonly ring-around-a-rosy or ring-a-rosy
: a children's singing game in which players dance around in a circle and at a given signal drop to the ground

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ring-around-the-rosy was in 1878

Dictionary Entries Near ring-around-the-rosy

Cite this Entry

“Ring-around-the-rosy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ring-around-the-rosy. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!