English Reference

Phrasal verb

go round

Definition

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

phrasal verb. to be sufficient in quantity to satisfy a demand or provide a share for all members of a group; typically used with 'enough'.

Examples

“Is there enough cake to go round?”

“We only have three copies of the book, which isn't enough to go round the whole class.”

“During the drought, the local authorities worried that the remaining water reserves would not go round the growing population of the valley.”

Examples

simple

“Is there enough cake to go round?”

contextual

“We only have three copies of the book, which isn't enough to go round the whole class.”

complex

“During the drought, the local authorities worried that the remaining water reserves would not go round the growing population of the valley.”

Usage

usually used in the infinitive form after 'enough' or in questions about supply.

Teaching tip

contrast this with the physical sense of 'spinning' or 'visiting someone's house' to show how English uses movement verbs to describe distribution.

Pitfall

There is enough bread for go round.

There is enough bread to go round.

the phrase is almost always used as an infinitive with 'to' when following 'enough'.

Phrasal verb

Particles

round

Separability

inseparable

Pattern

go + round

Synonyms

lastsufficebe enough

Antonyms

Grammar

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/go-round

English Reference