circle

American  

[sur-kuhl] / ˈsɜr kəl /

noun

circles plural

1. a closed plane curve consisting of all points at a given distance from a point within it called the center. Equation: x 2 + y 2 = r 2 .

2. the portion of a plane bounded by such a curve.

3. any circular or ringlike object, formation, or arrangement.

   a circle of dancers.

   Synonyms:

   corona, halo, ring

4. a ring, circlet, or crown.

5. the ring of a circus.

6. a section of seats in a theater.

   dress circle.

7. the area within which something acts, exerts influence, etc.; realm; sphere.

   A politician has a wide circle of influence.

8. a series ending where it began, especially when perpetually repeated; cycle.

   the circle of the year.

9. Logic. an argument ostensibly proving a conclusion but actually assuming the conclusion or its equivalent as a premise; vicious circle.

10. a complete series forming a connected whole; cycle.

    the circle of the sciences.

11. a number of persons bound by a common tie; coterie.

    a literary circle;

    a family circle.

12. Government. an administrative division, especially of a province.

13. Geography. a parallel of latitude.

14. Astronomy.

    1. (formerly) the orbit of a heavenly body.

    2. meridian circle.

15. Surveying. a glass or metal disk mounted concentrically with the spindle of a theodolite or level and graduated so that the angle at which the alidade is set may be read.

16. a sphere or orb.

    the circle of the earth.

17. a ring of light in the sky; halo.

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verb (used with object)

circles, present (3rd person singular) circled, past participle, past circling present participle

1. to enclose in a circle; surround; encircle.

   Circle the correct answer on the exam paper.

   The enemy circled the hill.

2. to move in a circle or circuit around; rotate or revolve around.

   He circled the house cautiously.

3. to change course so as to pass by or avoid collision with; bypass; evade.

   The ship carefully circled the iceberg.

verb (used without object)

circles, present (3rd person singular) circled, past participle, past circling present participle

1. to move in a circle or circuit.

   The plane circled for half an hour before landing.

2. Movies, Television. to iris (usually followed by in orout ).

idioms

1. circle the wagons,

   1. (in the early U.S. West) to form the wagons of a covered-wagon train into a circle for defensive purposes, as against Indian attack.

   2. Slang. to prepare for an all-out, unaided defensive fight.

      The company has circled the wagons since its market share began to decline.

circle British  

/ ˈsɜːkəl /

noun

1. maths a closed plane curve every point of which is equidistant from a given fixed point, the centre. Equation: ( x –h )² + ( y –k )² = r ² where r is the radius and ( h, k ) are the coordinates of the centre; area πr²; circumference: 2π r

2. the figure enclosed by such a curve

3. theatre the section of seats above the main level of the auditorium, usually comprising the dress circle and the upper circle

4. something formed or arranged in the shape of a circle

5. a group of people sharing an interest, activity, upbringing, etc; set

   golf circles

   a family circle

6. a domain or area of activity, interest, or influence

7. a circuit

8. a process or chain of events or parts that forms a connected whole; cycle

9. a parallel of latitude See also great circle small circle

10. the ring of a circus

11. one of a number of Neolithic or Bronze Age rings of standing stones, such as Stonehenge, found in Europe and thought to be associated with some form of ritual or astronomical measurement

12. hockey See striking circle

13. a circular argument See vicious circle

14. to arrive back at one's starting point See also vicious circle

15. to engage in energetic but fruitless activity

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verb

1. to move in a circle (around)

   we circled the city by car

2. (tr) to enclose in a circle; encircle

circle Scientific  

/ sûr′kəl /

1. A closed curve whose points are all on the same plane and at the same distance from a fixed point (the center).

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circle More Idioms  

1. see full circle; go around (in circles); run around (in circles); run rings (circles) around; vicious circle.

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Usage

What is a basic definition of circle? In geometry, a circle is a perfectly round shape—meaning any point around its curve is the same distance from its central point. Circle commonly refers to anything that’s approximately shaped like this, even if it’s not a perfect circle in geometric terms. The letter O is a circle. As a verb, circle means to surround something or to move in a circular pattern. The word circle has several other senses as a noun and a verb. In math, a circle is one of the shapes that a student will learn about when studying geometry. A circle resembles the letter O or the symbol for zero (0). A circle consists of a closed curved line around a central point. Every point on the line is the same distance from the central point. This distance to the center is called the radius. The outer line that encloses the circle (or the length of this line) is called the circumference. Real-life example: A circle is a basic shape that’s typically taught to young children along with other simple shapes, such as triangles, squares, and rectangles. Used in a sentence: The math teacher taught the students how to measure the circumference of a circle. Outside of math, circle generally refers to any object, shape, or formation that resembles a ring. The adjective circular describes something that has the shape of a circle. Real-life examples: Wedding rings, Hula-Hoops, Cheerios, and car tires are circles. Drum circles, poetry circles, and prayer circles involve people literally arranging themselves to form a ring shape. They can also be figurative circles, with people gathering in one place for a common purpose. Used in a sentence: The children gathered in a circle around the litter of puppies. As a verb, circle means to surround something or to enclose it in a circle. Real-life example: Schoolchildren are often asked to circle the correct answer on a test. Used in a sentence: The police officers circled the building so that every exit was covered. Circle as a verb also means to move in a circle or a circular pattern around something. Real-life example: Vultures and sharks often circle around things they are planning to eat. Used in a sentence: She circled the house in search of her dropped car keys.

Synonym Usage

Circle, club, coterie, set, society are terms applied to restricted social groups. A circle may be a little group; in the plural it often suggests a whole section of society interested in one mode of life, occupation, etc.: a sewing circle; a language circle; in theatrical circles. Club implies an association with definite requirements for membership and fixed dues: an athletic club. Coterie suggests a little group closely and intimately associated because of congeniality: a literary coterie. Set refers to a number of persons of similar background, interests, etc., somewhat like a clique ( ring ¹ ) but without disapproving connotations; however, it often implies wealth or interest in social activities: the country club set. A society is a group associated to further common interests of a cultural or practical kind: a Humane Society.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• circler
  noun
• undercircle
  noun
• recircle
  verb
• intercircle
  verb (used with object)
• undercircle
  verb (used with object)
• uncircled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• circles
  plural

Participles

• circling
  present
• circled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• circle
  simple
• circles
  simple
• have circled
  perfect
• has circled
  perfect
• am circling
  progressive
• are circling
  progressive
• is circling
  progressive
• have been circling
  perfect progressive
• has been circling
  perfect progressive

Past

• circled
  simple
• had circled
  perfect
• was circling
  progressive
• were circling
  progressive
• had been circling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will circle
  simple
• will have circled
  perfect
• will be circling
  progressive
• will have been circling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of circle

First recorded before 1000; Middle English cercle (from Old French cercle), Old English circul, both from Latin circulus, equivalent to circ(us) “circle, circular course, orbit” + -ulus diminutive ending; see circus, -ule)

Explanation

A circle is the round shape formed by all the points equidistant from a center point. This shape can be found everywhere, from the ring on your finger to the performance space in a circus (which sounds suspiciously similar, doesn’t it?). The Greek word kirkos meant circle, but the word goes back even further to the Proto-Indo-European word kirk, which meant "to bend." The noun refers to that round shape, while the verb form means to move around or surround something. Are you going to knock on the door or just circle around the house all day? If you feel like you haven't been getting anywhere with something, you might say you're "going in circles."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

circle circles circled circling

By night’s end, the evening had come full circle.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

Still, Witkoff did not appear to be in Trump’s inner circle during his first term.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

And that, I’m afraid, brings this argument full circle once again.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

After three unsuccessful jabs with a tiny lancet, I had yet to produce enough blood to fill a circle on a collection card.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Once a week, Leah began traveling to Jersey City to hold regular séances at various homes for Willets’s circle.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

The chant "Mayo for Sam" is well known in GAA circles, but three years ago it garnered its most famous endorsement yet - the president of the United States.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Authorities said the suspect is known to police and has ties to Islamist circles in Berlin but also stressed investigators have not yet determined a motive or whether he acted alone.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

She was running for a rare open congressional seat in San Francisco and, though well known in political circles as a prodigious Democratic fundraiser and high-level activist, Pelosi was a blank slate to many voters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Police spokesman Nath said investigators had identified a suspect but not yet made an arrest, adding that investigators believed he had links to "Islamist circles".

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

They never specified any human actions that took place while their circles were in session.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Fleetwood's form this year has been solid rather than spectacular, but The Open coming back to the Southport area for the 11th time has long been circled in his diary.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

An AFP photographer at the scene saw a heavy police presence with access to the area cordoned off, while a helicopter circled overhead.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

I circled “Freebird,” “Night Moves,” “Waterloo” and “Delta Dawn” in quick succession.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

An Israeli drone circled overhead, its buzzing ceaseless throughout the day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

And then it circled back a minute later.

From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis

It wasn’t the price that made them hesitate, but that she kept circling back to the cost.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

UniCredit began circling Commerzbank in 2024, disclosing a 9% stake in September of that year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

Korda secured the win with a 34-inch par putt on the 18th hole, with the ball circling around the back lip before dropping in.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison has been circling the globe, meeting government regulators who will ultimately decide the fate of his controversial $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

The horses continue circling, with the white horses passing the black horses and then the black horses passing the white horses, with the end result always being alternating colors.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• camp
• class
• clique
• club
• company
• crowd
• fraternity
• party
• ring
• school
• society