释义 
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 ( raʊ ndəbaʊt ) 
Word forms:  plural  roundabouts 1.  countable noun A roundabout  is a circular structure in the road at a place where several roads meet. You drive round it until you come to the road that you want.
 [ British] regional note:  in AM, use traffic circle 2.  countable noun A roundabout  at a fair is a large, circular mechanical device with seats, often in the shape of animals or cars, on which children sit and go round and round.
 [ British] regional note:  in AM, use merry-go-round , carousel 3.  countable noun A roundabout  in a park or school play area is a circular platform that children sit or stand on. People push the platform to make it spin round.
 [ British] regional note:  in AM, use merry-go-round   4.  adjective  [ usually ADJECTIVE  noun] If you go somewhere by a roundabout  route, you do not go there by the shortest and quickest route.
 The party took a roundabout route overland. 
5.  adjective  [ usually ADJECTIVE  noun] If you do or say something in a roundabout  way, you do not do or say it in a simple, clear, and direct way.
 We made a bit of a fuss in a roundabout way. 
 ...using indirect or roundabout language in place of a precise noun. 
 6.   round about
7.   swings and roundabouts
More Synonyms of roundabout 
roundabout  in British English  ( ˈraʊndəˌbaʊt ) 
noun 1.   British  a revolving circular platform provided with wooden animals, seats, etc, on which people ride for amusement; merry-go-round
2.  a road junction in which traffic streams circulate around a central island
  US and Canadian name :  traffic circle 3.    an informal name for  boring mill 
adjective 4.  indirect or circuitous; devious
 adverb ,  preposition   round about 5.  on all sides
 spectators standing round about
6.  approximately
 at round about 5 o'clock
roundabout  in American English  ( ˈraʊndəˌbaʊt ) 
  adjective  1.    not straight or straightforward; indirect; circuitous
  roundabout  answers 
2.    encircling; enclosing; surrounding
 noun  3.    something that is indirect or circuitous
 4.   US   a short, tight jacket or coat formerly worn by men and boys
 © Ian Bracegirdle, Shutterstock
Examples of 'roundabout' in a sentence roundabout
You have to put this one down to the swings and roundabouts of life. He said the idea was to confuse drivers into thinking they were approaching a roundabout and thus slow them down. But it was also, in a roundabout way, his athletic gift. Traffic lights have been replaced by mini roundabouts at two sites. But you can regain control of the flat by a roundabout route. These are the typical swings and roundabouts of global mining. She also took a roundabout the wrong way. We built roads and roundabouts differently and improved street lighting. She reports that at our local playground our daughter has the swings and roundabouts all to herself. He actually came up with the name in a roundabout way. IT'S swings and roundabouts in the world of luggage this week. Approach these in the same way as normal roundabouts. At the centre of a busy roundabout in the capital stands an office building made almost entirely of glass. The most recent involved a coach that tried to pass me entering a mini roundabout and nearly forced me into the barrier. More specifically, they are discussing how to approach the last roundabout. The internet is like the roads, roundabouts and traffic lights of our transport network. I come to a roundabout on a busy road. I stayed low until we approached the roundabout. Come to that, do we need to light roundabouts and motorways now that lights on cars are so much brighter? They were approaching a roundabout. I slowed down when approaching traffic lights and roundabouts and looked further ahead to avoid sudden or unnecessary braking or gear changes. The replacing of certain roundabouts by traffic lights has so backfired that a campaign is under way to bring them back after the Games. A view over the biggest roundabout in London isn't quite so romantic. Sir, When three cars arrive simultaneously at a mini roundabout their drivers are supposed to wait for the car on their right to move first.   In other languages roundabout
British English : 
roundabout  /
ˈraʊndəˌbaʊt / 
 NOUN  A roundabout  is a circle at a place where several roads meet.
American English : traffic circle  Arabic : دَائِرَة  Brazilian Portuguese : rotatória  Chinese : 交通转盘  Croatian : kružni tok  Czech : kruhový objezd  Danish : rundkørsel  Dutch : rotonde  European Spanish : rotonda  Finnish : liikenneympyrä  French : rond-point  German : Kreisverkehr  Greek : κυκλική διασταύρωση  Italian : rotatoria  Japanese : 環状交差路  Korean : 환상 교차로  Norwegian : rundkjøring  Polish : rondo  European Portuguese : rotunda  Romanian : sens giratoriu Russian : кольцевая автотранспортная развязка  Latin American Spanish : glorieta  Swedish : rondell  Thai : วงเวียนที่ต้องขับรถรอบ  Turkish : döner kavşak  Ukrainian : кільцева транспортна розв'язка Vietnamese : bùng binh    British English : 
roundabout  ADJECTIVE not shortest  If you go somewhere by a roundabout  route, you do not go there by the shortest and quickest route.
He left today on a roundabout route for the country.
American English : roundabout Brazilian Portuguese : indireto Chinese : 绕远的 European Spanish : indirecto French : détourné German : mit Umwegen Italian : indiretto Japanese : 遠回りの Korean : > 우회하는 길이European Portuguese : indireto Latin American Spanish : indirecto   British English : 
roundabout  ADJECTIVE ambiguous  If you do or say something in a roundabout  way, you do not do or say it in a simple, clear, and direct way.
We made a little fuss in a roundabout way.
American English : roundabout Brazilian Portuguese : indireto Chinese : 拐弯抹角的 European Spanish : indirecto French : détourné German : umständlich Italian : tortuoso Japanese : 遠回りの Korean : 우회적인 European Portuguese : indireto Latin American Spanish : indirecto   Chinese translation of 'roundabout'  n  (c)   (
Brit )
 (Aut ) 环(環)形交叉路    (huánxíng jiāochālù)    (个(個) , gè )美 = traffic circle 
  (at funfair ) 旋转(轉)木马(馬)    (xuánzhuǎn mùmǎ)    (个(個) , gè )  (in playground ) 旋转(轉)盘(盤)    (xuánzhuǎnpán)   adj   [route]   绕(繞)道的    (ràodào de)   [way, means]   拐弯(彎)抹角的    (guǎi wān mò jiǎo de)     
Definition 
not straightforward
a roundabout route
Synonyms 
Opposites 
direct 
,  straight 
,  straightforward 
  
Definition 
not straightforward
indirect or roundabout language
Synonyms 
evasive 
circumlocutory 
periphrastic 
  
Additional synonyms Definition 
indirect and lengthy
They were taken on a circuitous route home.
Synonyms 
indirect ,  
winding ,  
rambling ,  
roundabout ,  
meandering ,  
tortuous ,  
labyrinthine ,  
ambagious  (archaic) 
He has a pedantic and circuitous writing style. 
Synonyms 
oblique ,  
indirect ,  
ambagious  (archaic) 
Definition 
(of a route or course of action) indirect
He followed a devious route.
Synonyms 
indirect ,  
roundabout ,  
wandering ,  
crooked ,  
rambling ,  
tortuous ,  
deviating ,  
circuitous ,  
excursive 
Additional synonyms Definition 
passing from one topic to another
The book is characterized by a reflective, discursive style.
Synonyms 
digressive ,  
loose ,  
rambling ,  
roundabout ,  
diffuse ,  
meandering ,  
desultory ,  
long-winded ,  
circuitous ,  
prolix Definition 
seeking to evade
He was evasive about the circumstances of their first meeting.
Synonyms 
deceptive ,  
misleading ,  
indirect ,  
cunning ,  
slippery ,  
tricky ,  
shuffling ,  
devious ,  
oblique ,  
shifty  (informal) ,  
cagey  (informal) ,  
deceitful ,  
dissembling ,  
prevaricating ,  
equivocating ,  
sophistical ,  
casuistic ,  
casuistical ,  
elusive Definition 
hinted at or suggested
She felt undermined by the implied criticism.
Synonyms 
suggested ,  
inherent ,  
indirect ,  
hinted at ,  
implicit ,  
unspoken ,  
tacit ,  
undeclared ,  
insinuated ,  
unstated ,  
unexpressed
We crossed a meandering stream. 
Synonyms 
winding ,  
wandering ,  
snaking ,  
tortuous ,  
convoluted ,  
serpentine ,  
circuitous Synonyms 
roundabout ,  
wordy ,  
circuitous ,  
verbose ,  
prolix ,  
tautological ,  
circumlocutory ,  
pleonastic Definition 
devious or cunning
long and tortuous negotiations
Synonyms 
complicated ,  
involved ,  
misleading ,  
tricky ,  
indirect ,  
ambiguous ,  
roundabout ,  
deceptive ,  
devious ,  
convoluted ,  
mazy