around

Etymology

From Middle English around, arounde, from a- (from Old English a- (“on, at”)) + Middle English round (“circle, round”) borrowed from French, equivalent to a- + round. Cognate with Scots aroond, aroon (“around”). Displaced earlier Middle English umbe, embe (“around”) (from Old English ymbe (“around”)). See umbe.

prep

1. Forming a circle or closed curve containing (something).
   She wore a gold chain around her neck.
   I planted a row of lilies around the statue.
   The jackals began to gather around the carcass.
   Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal. 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4
2. (of abstract things) Centred upon; surrounding.
   There has been a lot of controversy around the handling of personal information.
   The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives. And, as their ubiquity spreads, so too does the debate around whether we should allow ourselves to become so reliant on them – and who, if anyone, is policing their use. 2013-07-26, Leo Hickman, “How algorithms rule the world”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 26
3. Following the perimeter of a specified area and returning to the starting point.
   We walked around the football field.
   She went around the track fifty times.
4. Following a path which curves near an object, with the object on the inside of the curve.
   The road took a brief detour around the large rock formation, then went straight on.
   I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn. 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients
   But Richmond[…]appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw, peeping around the massive silver epergne that almost obscured him from her view, that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either. 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax
5. Near; in the vicinity of.
   I left my keys somewhere around here.
   I left the house around 10 this morning.
   I don't want you around me.
6. At or to various places within.
   The pages from the notebook were scattered around the room.
   Those teenagers like to hang around the mall.
   She went around the office and got everyone to sign the card.
   Men that I knew around Wapatomac didn't wear high, shiny plug hats, nor yeller spring overcoats, nor carry canes with ivory heads as big as a catboat's anchor, as you might say. 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 10, in Mr. Pratt's Patients

adj

1. (informal, with the verb "to be") Present in the vicinity.
   Is Clare around today?
2. (informal, with the verb "to be") Alive; existing.
   The record store on Main Street? Yes, it's still around.
   "How is old Bob? I heard that his health is failing." "Oh, he's still around. He's feeling better now."
   Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work. 2013 July-August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)

adv

1. So as to form a circle or trace a circular path, or approximation thereof.
   High above, vultures circled around.
2. So as to surround or be near.
   Everybody please gather around.
   There isn't another house for miles around.
3. Nearly; approximately; about.
   Around a thousand people attended.
   An adult elephant weighs around five tons.
4. From place to place.
   There are rumors going around that the company is bankrupt.
   Look around and see what you find.
   We moved the furniture around in the living room.
   Of all the transitions brought about on the Earth’s surface by temperature change, the melting of ice into water is the starkest. It is binary. And for the land beneath, the air above and the life around, it changes everything. 2013-05-11, “The climate of Tibet: Pole-land”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8835, page 80
5. From one state or condition to an opposite or very different one; with a metaphorical change in direction; bringing about awareness or agreement.
   The team wasn't doing well, but the new coach really turned things around.
   He used to stay up late but his new girlfriend changed that around.
   The patient was unconscious but the doctor brought him around quickly. (see bring around, come around)
   I didn't think he would ever like the new design, but eventually we brought him around. (see bring around, come around)
6. (with turn, spin, etc.) So as to partially or completely rotate; so as to face in the opposite direction.
   Turn around at the end of this street.
   She spun around a few times.
7. Used with verbs to indicate repeated or continuous action, or in numerous locations or with numerous people.
   I asked around, and no-one really liked it.
   Shopping around can get you a better deal.
   When are you going to stop whoring around, find a nice girl, and give us grandchildren?
8. Used with certain verbs to suggest unproductive activity.
   sit around, mess around, loaf around