cir·cle
| \ ˈsər-kəl
\
\
Definition of circle
(Entry 1 of 2)
b
: a closed plane (see plane entry 6 sense 2b) curve every point of which is equidistant (see equidistant sense 1) from a fixed point within the curve
c
: the plane surface bounded by such a curve
2
archaic
: the orbit of a celestial body
3
: something in the form of a circle or section of a circle: such as
a
: diadem
b
: an instrument of astronomical observation the graduated (see graduated sense 2a) limb of which consists of an entire circle
c
: a balcony or tier of seats in a theater
d
: a circle formed on the surface of a sphere by the intersection of a plane that passes through it
circle of latitude
e
: rotary sense 2
Traffic slowed down around the circle.
4
: an area of action or influence : realm
within the circle of probability
b
: fallacious reasoning in which something to be demonstrated is covertly assumed
6
: a group of persons sharing a common interest or revolving about a common center
the sewing circle of her church family circle the gossip of court circles political, social, and literary circles
7
: a territorial or administrative division or district
The province is divided into nine circles.
8
: a curving side street
lived on Kimberly Circle
9
: a circular course or path
The children ran in circles around the tree. The conversation kept going in circles, and nothing got accomplished.
circle
verb
circled;
circling\ ˈsər-k(ə-)liŋ
\
\
Definition of circle (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to enclose in or as if in a circle
The teacher circled the misspelled words.
2
: to move or revolve around
satellites circling the earth
1a
: to move in or as if in a circle
The airplane circled around over the airport.
b
: circulate
thy name shall circle round the gaping throng— Lord Byron
c
: to circle around before making an attack
sharks circling in the water
2
: to describe or extend in a circle
the lighthouse sent out its slow steady circling beam— R. O. Bowen
Illustration of circle
Noun
circle 1b: AB diameter; C center; CD, CA, CB radii; EKF arc on chord EF; EFKL (area) segment on chord EF; ACD (area) sector; GH secant; TPM tangent at point P; EKFBPDA circumference
In the meaning defined above
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from circle
Verb
circler
\ ˈsər-k(ə-)lər
\
noun
\
noun
Synonyms for circle
Synonyms: Noun
Synonyms: Verb
compass, embrace, encircle, enclose (also inclose), encompass, environ, gird, girdle, ring, surround, wreathe
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of circle in a Sentence
Noun
She drew a circle around the correct answer. We formed a circle around the campfire. He looked old and tired, with dark circles under his eyes. She has a large circle of friends. She is well-known in banking circles.Verb
He circled his arms around his wife's waist. His arms circled around his wife's waist. She circled the correct answer. The pilot circled the airport before landing. The halfback circled to the left.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The circle of corruption results when there are not effective controls. — Washington Post, "AP Interview: Guatemala graft body’s chief happy despite end," 2 Sep. 2019 Beede grabbed a bat and stood in the on-deck circle in the top of the fifth, but he was lifted for pinch-hitter Stephen Vogt after second baseman Mauricio Dubón recorded the first extra-base hit of his career. — Kerry Crowley, The Mercury News, "Mauricio Dubón hits first MLB home run, Giants’ visions shifting as losses pile up," 2 Sep. 2019 The circles point out large clumps of matter, many of which join and grow over time. — Scientific American, "Nanomachines, Jellyfish Hugs and Hurricane Dorian From Space: The Week's Best Science GIFs," 30 Aug. 2019 Two of his three attempts landed within in the circle, including a shot that nearly found the bottom of the cup. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: ‘Fun Phil’ Mickelson dives into social media while helping San Diego kids," 30 Aug. 2019 Lebenzon has been tapped to work on Top Gun: Maverick, Paramount and Skydance’s sequel to the 1980s classic, giving him a closing-of-the-circle moment. — Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, "Original 'Top Gun' Editor Returning to Work on Sequel (Exclusive)," 30 Aug. 2019 But the circles can accommodate at most a couple of hundred thousand bases, and synthetic biologists often want to move large segments of chromosomes containing multiple genes, which can be millions of bases long or more. — Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, "Forget single genes: CRISPR now cuts and splices whole chromosomes," 29 Aug. 2019 At one point during the end of the third match of the tournament, only four teams remained, each sitting on a different edge of the circle. — Aron Garst, The Verge, "Illegal tournaments and rejected visas: Team Vietnam’s long road to the PUBG Nations Cup," 20 Aug. 2019 Packer does not refer to a single instance during Holbrooke’s long career in which the man took a position that might exclude him from the inner circles of power, whether that power resided in Washington or on Wall Street. — David Rieff, Harper's magazine, "An American in the Treetops," 19 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
That’s just circling around the $3.25 billion value from its final VC round six months ago. — Aaron Pressman, Fortune, "Why Google Won’t End Up Like Microsoft—Data Sheet," 4 Sep. 2019 The Main Thing is Butler as a proverbial sun and planets circling around him: simplicity like Tim Duncan and the Spurs, or Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors. -- Leonard, Cornelius, N.C. A: Agreed. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: In the end, did Mario Chalmers steal Jeremy Lin’s soul?," 28 Aug. 2019 With dead-eyed Kendall, Roman the joker king, and Shiv the cold golden child circling around their aggressive, manipulative, and capricious father, media mogul Logan Roy, the show offers endless amusement. — Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Succession’ is more ‘Dynasty’ than it is ‘King Lear’," 21 Aug. 2019 The other person did not come out of his apartment, so Simmons circled around to the back, police said.