round robin

or round-rob·in

SEE SYNONYMS FOR round robin ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a sequence or series.
a petition, remonstrance, or the like, having the signatures arranged in circular form so as to disguise the order of signing.
a letter, notice, or the like, circulated from person to person in a group, often with individual comments being added by each.
Sports. a tournament in which all of the entrants play each other at least once, failure to win a contest not resulting in elimination.

Origin of round robin

First recorded in 1540–50

Words nearby round robin

round off, round on, round out, round peg in a square hole, round pronator muscle, round robin, round rock, round steak, round table, round table, knights of the, round the bend

Words related to round robin

application, prayer, request, suit, overture, entreaty, appeal, petition, solicitation, forum, discussion, consultation, seminar, interview, symposium, meeting, talk, memorial, imprecation, supplication

Example sentences from the Web for round robin

British Dictionary definitions for round robin

round robin

noun

a letter, esp a petition or protest, having the signatures in a circle in order to disguise the order of signing
any letter or petition signed by a number of people
US and Canadian a tournament, as in a competitive game or sport, in which each player plays against every other player

Idioms and Phrases with round robin

round robin
1

A petition or other document signed by several persons in sequence, so that no one can tell who was the first to sign it. For example, We decided to send a round robin to management to protest the new rules about work hours. This term originally referred to a grievance presented by seamen to their captain, called round because of the circular sequence of names, but the source of robin has been lost. [Early 1700s]

2

In sports, a tournament in which each player or team plays against all of the others in turn. For example, The club always holds a tennis round robin on the Fourth of July. [Late 1800s]