merry-go-round: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Informal to Neutral
Quick answer
What does “merry-go-round” mean?
A large circular mechanical platform with model animals or vehicles that people, especially children, ride on for amusement at a fair or in a park.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A large circular mechanical platform with model animals or vehicles that people, especially children, ride on for amusement at a fair or in a park.
A continuous cycle of similar or identical activities, meetings, or events, often perceived as repetitive and unproductive.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both 'merry-go-round' and 'carousel' are understood in both varieties. 'Merry-go-round' is the more common term in the UK for the amusement ride; 'carousel' is more common in the US. The metaphorical sense is equally common in both.
Connotations
The literal sense has positive, nostalgic connotations of childhood. The metaphorical sense has negative connotations of futility, boredom, or bureaucracy.
Frequency
The word is moderately frequent in both varieties. The metaphorical use is more frequent in adult and professional contexts than the literal use.
Grammar
How to Use “merry-go-round” in a Sentence
[Subject] is a merry-go-round of [noun][Subject] got off/on the [adjective] merry-go-roundVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “merry-go-round” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The meeting just merry-go-rounded through the same old points.
American English
- His thoughts were merry-go-rounding with anxiety.
adjective
British English
- It was a very merry-go-round experience, fun but dizzying.
American English
- The campaign had a merry-go-round quality to it.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to describe repetitive, unproductive processes, e.g., 'the merry-go-round of quarterly reports'.
Academic
Rare in formal writing; may appear in sociology or management studies to describe cyclical phenomena.
Everyday
Common for describing fairground rides and frustrating repetitive life situations.
Technical
Not a technical term.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “merry-go-round”
- Misspelling as 'merrygoround' (should be hyphenated).
- Using the metaphorical sense in a positive context (it is almost always negative).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In modern usage, they are synonyms for the amusement ride. Historically, 'carousel' referred to a tournament training device. In contemporary American English, 'carousel' is more common for the ride; in British English, 'merry-go-round' is dominant.
Informally, yes, especially in participle form (e.g., 'merry-go-rounding'), to mean engaging in repetitive, cyclical activity. This is non-standard but understood in creative or colloquial contexts.
It is informal to neutral. It is appropriate in business meetings, journalism, and everyday speech but would be replaced by more formal terms like 'cycle' or 'repetitive process' in highly formal academic or legal documents.
The most common error is omitting the hyphens and writing it as one word or three separate words. As a compound noun, 'merry-go-round' requires hyphens.
A large circular mechanical platform with model animals or vehicles that people, especially children, ride on for amusement at a fair or in a park.
Merry-go-round: in British English it is pronounced /ˈmer.i ɡəʊ ˌraʊnd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈmer.i ɡoʊ ˌraʊnd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Life's a merry-go-round.”
- “The political merry-go-round is in full swing.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the words in order: You feel MERRY, so you GO to the ROUND ride. For the metaphor: your thoughts GO ROUND and ROUND, but don't get you anywhere new.
Conceptual Metaphor
A REPETITIVE/TEDIOUS PROCESS IS A CIRCULAR AMUSEMENT RIDE.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'merry-go-round' LEAST likely to be used?