Others (Around): English Vocabulary List

to move furniture or objects to make a room look different

"Change around the furniture arrangement."

"We need to change around the furniture in the living room to make more space for the new sofa."

(of a group of people) to gather closely around a specific point of interest

"They crowded around the stage."

"The fans crowded around the stage door hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous singer as she left the theater."

to finally find the time, motivation, or opportunity to do something that has been postponed or delayed

"I will get around to it later."

"I have been meaning to fix that leaky faucet but I have not gotten around to it yet."

to spend time playing, exploring, or making adjustments to something, usually for fun or improvement

"Do not mess around with matches."

"Stop messing around with the thermostat because you are going to break it and then we will have to call a repairman."

to focus on something or someone as the primary subject or point of interest

"The story revolves around a detective."

"The plot of the movie revolves around a young detective trying to solve a mysterious murder case."

to help someone with tasks they should handle independently

"She runs around after her kids."

"The mother spent the entire day running around after her young children who seemed to have endless amounts of energy."

to show interesting aspects of a location to someone unfamiliar with it

"Show the new student around."

"The new employee was shown around the office by a friendly coworker who explained where everything was located."

to move things so that each is in a different place than before

"Switch around the two pictures."

"The teacher switched around the seating chart so that the students who talked too much would not sit next to each other."

to show someone the important parts of a place by walking through it together

"Take around the city."

"The real estate agent took the potential buyers around the house pointing out all of its best features and recent upgrades."

to find a solution to overcome a problem or obstacle

"We will work around."

"The engineers had to work around the unexpected design flaw to ensure the bridge was completed on schedule."

(of ideas, rumors, etc.) to be widely discussed or heard among people without a known or confirmed source

"Rumors float around the office."

"There is a rumor floating around that the company might be closing the factory and moving the jobs overseas."

to pass something, such as an object, information, or food, to everyone in a group of people

"Hand around the cookies."

"The host handed around some appetizers while the guests were mingling and waiting for dinner to be served."

to distribute something among a group of people

"Pass around the snacks please."

"The teacher will pass around the worksheets for the students to complete during class."

to avoid or evade addressing a particular issue or topic directly in conversation

"Dance around the question."

"The politician danced around the difficult question instead of giving a straight answer which frustrated the reporters."

to deliberately avoid discussing a difficult subject or addressing a problem

"Skirt around the main issue."

"The speaker skirted around the controversial topic because she did not want to offend anyone in the audience."

to visit someone casually or unexpectedly

"Drop around for coffee sometime."

"I will drop around to your place after work to give you back the book that you lent me."

to have guests or people at one's home for a visit

"We have friends around tonight."

"I like to have my close friends around when I am feeling down because their company cheers me up."

to ask someone to come to one's home or another location, usually for a social visit or gathering

"Invite some friends around later."

"We decided to invite around some neighbors for a barbecue on the weekend to get to know them better."

to strike someone or something multiple times

"Knock around the ball."

"The children were told not to knock around the fragile ornaments in the living room."

to turn your head to see the surroundings

"Let's look around here."

"Before buying the house we took some time to look around the neighborhood and talk to the friendly residents living nearby."

to happen again, especially in a repeated manner

"It will roll around."

"We know that the holidays will eventually roll around again, bringing joy and festivities."

to cause a significant and positive change in something

"We will turn around."

"The new CEO has a plan to turn around the struggling company's fortunes."

(of information, news, or rumors) to spread or circulate

"News will get around."

"Despite the company's attempts at secrecy, the news about the impending layoffs began to get around."

(of information or physical objects) to circulate or distribute something, often in a haphazard or informal manner

"The news will go around."

"Rumors about the company's financial troubles began to go around the office rapidly."

to visit someone at their house or place

"Come around soon."

"Please come around to my place this weekend so we can catch up properly."