rondar
verbCEFR B2
What does “rondar” mean in English?
to haunt, to torment
to haunt, to torment (rondar a alguien — of thoughts, guilt, or memories: persist and trouble someone; figurative)
Example sentences
La culpa lo rondaba noche tras noche, impidiéndole conciliar el sueño desde que ocurrió el accidente.
Guilt haunted him night after night, preventing him from sleeping since the accident happened.
Durante semanas, la misma pregunta me rondaba la cabeza sin que pudiera encontrar una respuesta.
For weeks, the same question kept nagging at me without my being able to find an answer.
Los costes totales rondan los doscientos mil euros, aunque aún no se ha hecho un presupuesto definitivo.
The total costs are around two hundred thousand euros, although a definitive budget has not yet been drawn up.
How to use it
Rondar in its figurative sense means 'to haunt' or 'to keep coming back to someone's mind'. Structure: algo ronda a alguien (something haunts someone). Literal meaning: to patrol/prowl around. At B2, the figurative uses are key: una idea que me ronda (an idea that keeps nagging at me), la culpa lo rondaba (guilt haunted him). Also common: las cifras rondan los X euros (the figures are around X euros — approximate value sense). Don't confuse with perseguir (pursue — active chasing) or atormentar (torment — more extreme suffering).
Common mistake
Rondar has three distinct meanings at B2: (1) to patrol/prowl; (2) to haunt/nag (figurative); (3) to be approximately (rondar los X euros). The approximate value sense — 'la temperatura ronda los 30 grados' — is extremely common in journalism and daily speech and often surprises learners.