Dictionary

what goes around comes around en · X

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

First attested in the 1950s in sense 1, originally in African-American English.

Meanings

1. A person's actions, whether good or bad, will often have consequences for that person.
   • So lonely in your bed / Does breakin' me make you feel good? / Guess you don't understand / What goes around, comes around 2020, Ava Max, Madison Love, Måns Wredenberg, Noonie Bao, Cirkut, Linus Wiklund, “Who's Laughing Now”, in Heaven & Hell, performed by Ava Max:
2. Things repeat in cycles.
   • Unfortunately, the main proposal in the current XML era bears a striking resemblance to the CODASYL proposal from the early 1970’s, which failed because of its complexity. Hence, the current era is replaying history, and “what goes around comes around”. Hopefully the next era will be smarter. 2005, Michael Stonebraker, Joseph M. Hellerstein, “What Goes Around Comes Around”, in Joseph M. Hellerstein, Michael Stonebraker, editors, Readings in Database Systems, 4th edition, →ISBN, page 2:
   • The most important one is the end of the Ajax hype. I’m not sure when it will happen, but I know that it will. What goes around comes around—what once was cool and modern will become old hat and boring. 2006, Peter-Paul Koch, “Afterword”, in ppk on JavaScript, →ISBN:
   • Equally, what goes around, comes around. When it comes to investment theories, nothing new under the sun exists because ideas go stale and then get reinvented. 2015, Tony Levene, Investing for Dummies, 4th edition, →ISBN, page 93:

Forms

Relateds

old sins have long shadows · reap what one sows · bite in the ass · come back to haunt · fuck around and find out · history repeats itself · play stupid games, win stupid prizes · come back to bite · boomerang · sow the wind, reap the whirlwind · bite in the arse · golden rule · the chickens come home to roost · skeleton in the closet · circular firing squad · karma · come full circle

Translations (92)

pt tudo que vai volta (actions have consequences) · es todo cae por su propio peso (actions have consequences) · pl fortuna kołem się toczy (actions have consequences) · de die Vergangenheit holt einen immer ein (actions have consequences) · sv svinhugg går igen (actions have consequences) · pl historia zatacza koło (things repeat in cycles) · nl dat komt ervan (actions have consequences) · pt cá se fazem, cá se pagam (actions have consequences) · he הגלגל מסתובב (actions have consequences) · pt você colhe o que planta (actions have consequences) · he שלח לחמך על פני המים כי ברבות הימים תמצאנו (actions have consequences) · it si raccoglie ciò che si semina (actions have consequences) · bg всичко се връща (actions have consequences) · cmn 恶有恶报 (actions have consequences) · ta திணை விதைத்தவன் திணை அறுப்பான் (actions have consequences) · pl jak sobie pościelesz, tak się wyśpisz (actions have consequences) · it chi la fa l'aspetti (actions have consequences) · ja 業によりて果を引く (actions have consequences) · de wie du mir, so ich dir (actions have consequences) · th กงเกวียนกำเกวียน (actions have consequences) · de das kommt davon (actions have consequences) · cs jak se do lesa volá, tak se z lesa ozývá (actions have consequences) · fa خلایق هرچه لایق (actions have consequences) · pl jak Kuba Bogu, tak Bóg Kubie (actions have consequences) · ta வினை விதைத்தவன் வினை அறுப்பான் (actions have consequences) · eo kiu semas venton tiu rikoltos ventegon (actions have consequences) · bg каквото повикало, такова се обадило (actions have consequences) · ko 뿌린대로 거둔다 (actions have consequences) · th กรรมตามสนอง (actions have consequences) · cmn 媳婦熬成婆 /媳妇熬成婆 (actions have consequences) · da høg over høg (actions have consequences) · pt o mundo dá voltas (actions have consequences) · de sowas kommt von sowas (actions have consequences) · nl wie de bal kaatst, moet hem terug verwachten (actions have consequences) · pl co z siebie dajesz, to do ciebie wraca (actions have consequences) · es donde las dan las toman (actions have consequences) · da som man råber i skoven får man svar (actions have consequences) · ro Dumnezeu nu bate cu parul (actions have consequences) · de wie man sich bettet, so liegt man (actions have consequences) · ja 因果応報 (actions have consequences) · fr qui sème le vent récolte la tempête (actions have consequences) · cmn 善有善報，惡有惡報 /善有善报 (actions have consequences) · he מה שנותנים ־ מקבלים (actions have consequences) · az nə tökərsən aşına, o da çıxar qaşığına (actions have consequences) · da hvad et menneske sår skal han høste (actions have consequences) · de alles rächt sich irgendwann (actions have consequences) · hu ki mint vet, úgy arat (actions have consequences) · fa از هر دست بدهی از همان دست میگیری (actions have consequences) · cmn 因果循环，报应不爽。 (actions have consequences) · hu amilyen az adjonisten, olyan a fogadjisten (actions have consequences) · sv som man sår får man skörda (actions have consequences) · jam same knife stick sheep, stick goat (actions have consequences) · it chi semina vento raccoglie tempesta (actions have consequences) · ar كَمَا تَدِينُ تُدَان (actions have consequences) · fi niin metsä vastaa kuin sinne huudetaan (actions have consequences) · th ให้ทุกข์แก่ท่าน ทุกข์นั้นถึงตัว (actions have consequences) · da man ligger som man reder (actions have consequences) · pt quem semeia ventos colhe tempestades (actions have consequences) · tr başkasına fenalık eden kendine etmiş olur (actions have consequences) · de wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es heraus (actions have consequences) · ru что посе́ешь, то и пожнёшь (actions have consequences) · pt aqui se faz, aqui se paga (actions have consequences) · tl kung anong itinanim, siya ring aanihin (actions have consequences) · nl wie wind zaait, zal storm oogsten (actions have consequences) · uz qaytar dunyo (actions have consequences) · ru как ау́кнется, так и откли́кнется (actions have consequences) · de man erntet, was man sät (actions have consequences) · he גלגל חוזר בעולם (actions have consequences) · ja 自業自得 (actions have consequences) · pt chumbo trocado não dói (actions have consequences) · fr on récolte ce que l'on sème (actions have consequences) · eo kia ago tia pago (actions have consequences) · fr toute action a des conséquences (actions have consequences) · mt kif tagħmel, jagħmlulek (actions have consequences) · ms buat baik dibalas baik, buat jahat dibalas jahat (actions have consequences) · fi niin makaat kuin petaat (actions have consequences) · th กรรมใดใครก่อ กรรมนั้นคืนสนอง (actions have consequences) · sh sve se vraća, sve se plaća; kako siješ tako žanješ (actions have consequences) · hi जैसा कर्म करोगे वैसा ही फल मिलेगा (actions have consequences) · sv som man bäddar får man ligga (actions have consequences) · bg на каквото си постелеш, на такова ще легнеш (actions have consequences) · cmn 種豆得豆 /种豆得豆 (actions have consequences) · pl historia lubi się powtarzać (things repeat in cycles) · vi đời cha ăn mặn, đời con khát nước (actions have consequences) · fi minkä taakseen jättää, sen edestään löytää (actions have consequences) · srn te yu naki kapalasi, yu sa yere boriman tongo (actions have consequences) · vi gieo nhân nào gặt quả nấy (actions have consequences) · he כל אחד מקבל בסוף מה שמגיע לו (actions have consequences) · cmn 種瓜得瓜 /种瓜得瓜 (actions have consequences) · vi ác giả ác báo (actions have consequences) · fr l'histoire se répète (things repeat in cycles) · no man høster som man sår (actions have consequences)

wikipedia: African-American English