Go around meaning
Go around means to be enough for everyone in a group to have some. It can also mean to spread from person to person, like an illness or news.
go around
go around · went · gone · going
Is there enough pizza to go around?
Go around meanings and examples
4 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Be enough for everyone in a group to have some
go around
- Is there enough pizza to go around?
- There aren’t enough chairs to go around.
- We only had six cups, so they didn’t go around.
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2
Spread from person to person, like an illness or news
go around
- There’s a nasty cold going around at school.
- A rumour is going around that the boss is leaving.
- Have you heard the story that’s going around?
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3
Visit someone who lives near you
go around
- I’m going around to Sam’s later.
- Why don’t you go around and see your gran?
- We went around to the neighbours to say sorry.
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4
Often behave in a certain way that others notice
go around
- You can’t go around telling people lies.
- He goes around in that old jacket every day.
- Don’t go around saying I’m rude!
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use go around in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is go around separable?
Go around has no direct object in these meanings. In the visit meaning, add to: go around to Sam’s. In meaning 4, use the -ing form: go around telling people.
British English often says go round instead: There’s a bug going round. Is there enough to go round? Both are correct.
Verb tenses for go around
| Present | I go around · she goes around |
|---|---|
| Past | went around |
| Present perfect | have gone around |
| -ing form | going around |
Common mistakes with go around
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: You can’t go around to tell lies.
Right: You can’t go around telling lies.
Use the -ing form after go around.
Wrong: Is there enough food for go around?
Right: Is there enough food to go around?
Say enough to go around.
Wrong: There’s a flu going on at school.
Right: There’s a flu going around at school.
For an illness that spreads, use go around.
Synonyms and opposites of go around
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- spreadmove from person to person
- get aroundspread, for news; or travel from place to place
- come aroundvisit someone at their home
Go around quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Half my class is ill. There’s a bug ___.
An illness that spreads is going around.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Say enough to go around.
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3Mia is bored. She says, “I think I’ll ___ to Leo’s.”
Go around to someone’s means visit them nearby.
More phrasal verbs with go
All phrasal verbs with go, by level, with an exercise
16 phrasal verbs start with go. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- go outA1leave your home to do something fun
- go backA1return to a place where you were before
- go inA2enter a room or a building
- go intoA2enter a place
- go onB1continue, or last for a period of time
- go awayB1leave a person or a place
- go downB1become lower, like a price, a number or a temperature
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- go forB1choose something
- go withB1look or taste good together with something
- go offB2start ringing loudly, like an alarm, or explode, like a bomb
- go throughB2live through a difficult or unpleasant time
- go overB2check something carefully, looking for mistakes
- go aheadB2start or continue doing something you planned
- go afterB2follow or chase someone to catch them or talk to them
Go around FAQ
Questions people ask about go around.
What does what goes around comes around mean?
It means the way you treat others will come back to you later, good or bad.
What is the difference between go around and get around?
Both can mean spread, for news. Go around is very common for illness: There’s a virus going around. Get around also means travel from place to place.
What does go around in circles mean?
It means keep talking or thinking about something without making progress: We went around in circles for an hour.
Use go around in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.