merry-go-round
/ˈmɛɹiɡoʊˌɹaʊnd/
Frequency: 3.81 in modern English
Meaning
noun
Synonym of carousel (“a pleasure ride, typically found at amusement parks and fairs and accompanied by music, consisting of a slowly revolving circular platform on which are fixed various seats, frequently shaped like horses or other animals, cars, etc., which may also move up and down”).
noun
Synonym of carousel (“a pleasure ride, typically found at amusement parks and fairs and accompanied by music, consisting of a slowly revolving circular platform on which are fixed various seats, frequently shaped like horses or other animals, cars, etc., which may also move up and down”).
noun
Synonym of carousel (“a pleasure ride, typically found at amusement parks and fairs and accompanied by music, consisting of a slowly revolving circular platform on which are fixed various seats, frequently shaped like horses or other animals, cars, etc., which may also move up and down”).
American usage
noun
A bustle of activity; also, a meaningless cycle of activity.
Example Sentences
- "When we left the Madeleine we took our way to the Place de la Concorde, and thence through the Elysian Fields […] There were merry-go-rounds, wooden horses, and other provision for children's amusements among the trees; […]"
- "William had eleven consecutive rides on the merry-go-round. He had made up his mind to have twelve, but, much to his regret, had to relinquish the twelfth owing to certain unpleasant sensations."
- "Can you even distinguish yourself from me? Can you even recall how to think? Can you pull out the tube you suck on to feed? Have you ever formed your own beliefs? Behold the merry-go-round Circle so fast you can't scream Forget you ever knew ground Can't stop now"
- "Some of the desirable characteristics of the "Merry-go-round" railway described in this article are found in the Tyne Dock–Consett iron ore traffic of the N.E.R. [North Eastern Railway]. The ore is carried in high capacity wagons, run in trains of fixed formation. A triangle at the Consett works enables each train, complete with its locomotive, to be turned and sent back without any remarshalling after unloading to Tyne Dock. At the quayside, the wagons are mechanically loaded as a train and at Consett they run directly on to a gantry above unloading bunkers; they have air-operated bottom-discharge doors worked from the locomotive."
- "Reshaping [of British Railways] initiated the development of what would become merry-go-round trains, delivering coal non-stop to power stations in newly built hopper wagons."
- "Come join the fun, it's a merry-go-round / Everyone's dancing their troubles away"
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmɛɹiɡoʊˌɹaʊnd/
- British English: /ˈmɛɹiɡə(ʊ)ˌɹaʊnd/
Usage
- American usage