I. round ‧ a ‧ bout 1 /ˈraʊndəbaʊt/ BrE AmE noun [countable] British English
1 . a raised circular area where three or more roads join together and which cars must drive around SYN traffic circle American English :
Turn left at the first roundabout.
⇨ ↑ mini-roundabout
2 . a round structure for children to play on in a park. Children sit on it while someone pushes it around and around. SYN merry-go-round American English
3 . a ↑ merry-go-round
⇨ swings and roundabouts at ↑ swing 2 (9)
II. roundabout 2 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
1 . a roundabout way of saying something is not clear, direct, or simple SYN indirect OPP direct
roundabout way/fashion
It was a roundabout way of telling us to leave.
2 . a roundabout way of getting somewhere is longer and more complicated than necessary:
The bus took a very long and roundabout route.