make (one's)/the rounds

make (one's)/the rounds

1. Of a doctor or nurse in a hospital, to visit each hospitalized patient assigned to them. In this usage, "the" or a pronoun has to be used between "make" and "rounds." Dr. Murphy is making her rounds right now. I think she's with the patient in room 21.

2. To circulate through a group or place. Oh, I'm just making my rounds, but I'll be back to chat some more before the night is over. All the big news makes the rounds after homeroom, and everyone has the most current gossip by lunch.

3. To go from place to place. While working on my novel, I've been making the rounds through all the coffee shops in town.

See also: make, round

make the rounds

1. To be disseminated, distributed, or passed around. That rumor has been making the rounds since September. There's no truth to it, though. That story made the rounds in the press for a while, but eventually people got tired of it.

2. To visit or engage with many or all of a certain group of things of people. We made the rounds and hit every shop in town while Christmas shopping. Please make the rounds at the end of the night to make sure all the stations are clean.

See also: make, round

make the rounds

1. Follow a given circuit, as in The watchman makes the rounds every hour, or The gossip soon made the rounds of the school. Versions of this expression, such as go the rounds, follow the rounds, march the rounds, date from about 1600.

2. make rounds. Visit each hospitalized patient who is under the care of a specific physician, as in The surgery residents make rounds with their chief every morning. [c. 1900]

See also: make, round