1 C1 idiomatic neutral
To regain consciousness after fainting or being knocked out.
"She rounded to a few minutes after the accident and asked for water."
inseparable
round to
C1 neutral inseparable transitive/intransitive
To regain consciousness, or in nautical usage, to bring a vessel head-to-wind.
In plain English
To wake up after being unconscious, or (on a boat) to turn the boat into the wind.
What does "round to" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 neutral
Nautical: to turn a boat so that its bow faces into the wind.
"The captain ordered the crew to round to before lowering the anchor."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To turn around to (face something) — fairly transparent in the nautical sense.
Actually means
To wake up after being unconscious, or (on a boat) to turn the boat into the wind.
Usage tip
The 'regain consciousness' sense is dated and less common than 'come round' or 'come to'. The nautical sense (to turn a vessel into the wind) is the more active, specialised use. Context makes the sense clear.
Words that pair with "round to"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
wind vessel consciousness anchor bow heading
How to conjugate "round to"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
round to
I/you/we/they
3rd person
rounds to
he/she/it
Past simple
rounded to
yesterday
Past participle
rounded to
have + pp
-ing form
rounding to
continuous
Hear "round to" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "round to" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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