# go around

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/go-around
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to be enough for everyone in a group to have some.

For teachers: to be sufficient in quantity to satisfy the needs or demands of all members of a group.

## Examples

- Is there enough cake to go around?
- The teacher made sure there were enough colored pencils to go around before the art project started.
- During the economic crisis, there simply wasn't enough work to go around, leading to a significant rise in local unemployment rates.

## Pitfalls

- Not "There is enough bread to go around it." but "There is enough bread to go around." — in this sense, 'go around' is intransitive and does not take a direct object.

## Usage notes

- usually used in the infinitive form after 'enough' or 'sufficient'.
- Teaching tip: focus on the distributive sense of the phrase; it often appears in questions or negative statements regarding resources like food, money, or time.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.