cir·cuit
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Definition of circuit
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a usually circular line encompassing an area
a swamp about 10 miles in circuit
b
: the space enclosed within such a line
the circuit of the duke's land
2a
: a course around a periphery
the periodic circuit of the Earth around the Sun
b
: a circuitous or indirect route
The damaged bridge forced him to take a long circuit to his destination.
3a
: a regular tour (as by a traveling judge or preacher) around an assigned district or territory
The preacher ministered to each congregation in his circuit.
b
: the route traveled
His circuit took him to many towns in the county.
c
: a group of church congregations ministered to by one pastor
4a
: the complete path of an electric current including usually the source of electric energy
b
: an assemblage of electronic elements : hookup
c
: a two-way communication path between points (as in a computer)
d
: a neuronal pathway of the brain along which electrical and chemical signals travel
5a
: an association of similar groups : league
b
: a number or series of public outlets (such as theaters, radio shows, or arenas) offering the same kind of presentation
He loved competing on the rodeo circuit. She rose through the theater circuit to become a big-time entertainer.
c
: a number of similar social gatherings
the cocktail circuit
circuit
verb
circuited;
circuiting;
circuits
Definition of circuit (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make a circuit about
a route that circuits the Back Bay section of the city
: to make a circuit
Potential buyers circuited around the boatyard.
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Other Words from circuit
Noun
circuital
\ ˈsər-kə-tᵊl
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adjective
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adjective
Synonyms for circuit
Synonyms: Verb
circle, circumnavigate, circumvent, compass, encircle, girdle, orbit, ring, round
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Examples of circuit in a Sentence
Noun
It takes a year for the Earth to make one circuit around the sun.Verb
after circuiting the exterior of the church, the procession headed insideRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
In addition to the airtime, the band played the festival circuit and had engagements at high-profile venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall and Washington’s Kennedy Center. — Adam Bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Jim Cullum, flamekeeper of traditional jazz, dies at 77," 12 Aug. 2019 In addition to the airtime, the band played the festival circuit and had engagements at high-profile venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall and Washington’s Kennedy Center. — Adam Bernstein, Washington Post, "Jim Cullum, flamekeeper of traditional jazz, dies at 77," 12 Aug. 2019 Contemporary Christian music artists don’t usually frequent the big pop and rock festival circuit. — Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, "Outside Lands: Christian music star Lauren Daigle wows fans in San Francisco," 10 Aug. 2019 Muratova is the hero of Honeyland, a new documentary that buzzed through the festival circuit, accumulating a rapturous response (most awarded at Sundance, for example) rare for its medium. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "Honeyland Is a Stinging Allegory for Man-Made Disaster," 9 Aug. 2019 There are even hints Sony might avoid the fall festival circuit altogether and go straight out with the film. — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, "Venice Film Fest: 20 Projects on the Short List," 15 July 2019 Wild Rose is about to hit theaters in the U.S. after being lauded with praise on the festival circuit and in the U.K.. — Anne Cohen, refinery29.com, "Wild Rose Star Jessie Buckley Is About To Take Over Your Screen — & Your Headphones," 20 June 2019 Morse and Weinberg hope to make an impact beyond the film festival circuit. — Jaenique Hurlock, National Geographic, "Detroit’s urban beekeepers are transforming the city’s vacant lots," 4 June 2019 But its competitive circuit has only been active for a little less than 12 months. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "How the Fortnite World Cup could inspire the next Ninja or Tfue," 30 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Physical fatigue leads to mental fatigue, short-circuiting the mind’s decision-making capacity. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego State’s Matt Mitchell spending summer slimming down," 22 July 2019 Double-play grounders quickly short-circuited the first and second. — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Padres 4, Brewers 1: Rookie pitcher short-circuits offense once again," 19 June 2019 When the second Bush administration cooked up a case and a plan for war with Iraq, much of the cooking was done within the Pentagon, under the eye of Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; the results of that short-circuiting were bad enough. — Adam Weinstein, The New Republic, "Who Is Actually Running the U.S. Military’s Iran Efforts?," 18 June 2019 She's dragged the whole country into this and short-circuited a process the rest of us are vested in and not bothered to explain herself? — Fox News, "New evidence of political bias at Google; gender politics at play in Michigan Senate race," 21 Sep. 2018 As commander in chief, Trump immediately complicated the military’s case against Golsteyn, raising questions of undue command influence, as well as the possibility that the prosecution is bound to be short-circuited by a pardon. — Taimoor Shah, The Seattle Times, "Trump to ‘review’ case of Green Beret accused of murdering Afghan," 16 Dec. 2018 The evening ends with similar impact, as the full company’s arcing paths of running dancers circuit the stage, at times suggesting a whirlpool, before looping out as a whiplash of punctuation. — Robert Greskovic, WSJ, "‘The Six Brandenburg Concertos’ Review: Falling Short of Bach," 5 Oct. 2018 And then literally short-circuiting an acquisition. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Why Snap will get acquired before 2020, probably by Amazon," 28 Sep. 2018 Walker followed with a walk, but Clevinger got Miguel Andujar to ground into a double play and struck out Tyler Austin, short-circuiting the only threat against him until the eighth. — Pete Caldera, USA TODAY, "Gleyber Torres hits walk-off three-run homer to help Yankees sweep Indians," 6 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'circuit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for circuit
circuit
noun
English Language Learners Definition of circuit
: a series of performances, sports events, lectures, etc., that are held or done at many different places
: a path or trip around something