round number

noun

A number whose decimal representation ends in one or more zeroes, especially when it is because the number has only a few significant digits.

“a nice round number”

Meanings

nounround number (plural round numbers)

plural round numbers

  1. A number whose decimal representation ends in one or more zeroes, especially when it is because the number has only a few significant digits.

    A well-known anecdote says that the first scientifically precise measurement of Mount Everest's height was purposely misreported to the public as 29,002 feet merely because the actual result, figured at 29,000 feet precisely, sounded like a round number.

  2. A rough approximation, especially one whose decimal representation ends in one or more zeroes.

    a nice round number

    2 more examples

    We don't yet know the exact cost, but 20 million dollars sounds like a nice round number.

    In round numbers, the population of the nearest city is about 90,000.

Translations

Italian cifra tonda
  • cifra tondanumber whose decimal representation ends in one or more zeroes
Portuguese número redondo
  • número redondonumber whose decimal representation ends in one or more zeroes
Russian кру́глыми чи́слами
  • кру́глыми чи́слами (krúglymi číslami)number whose decimal representation ends in one or more zeroes
Cite this entry
APA

round number. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/round%20number

MLA

“round number.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/round%20number. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “round number,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/round%20number.

Source: round number on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.