cycle

American  

[sahy-kuhl] / ˈsaɪ kəl /

noun

• cycles
  plural

1. any complete round or series of occurrences that repeats or is repeated.

2. a round of years or a recurring period of time, especially one in which certain events or phenomena repeat themselves in the same order and at the same intervals.

3. any long period of years; age.

4. a bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.

5. a group of poems, dramas, prose narratives, songs etc., about a central theme, figure, or the like.

   the Arthurian cycle.

6. Physics.

   1. a sequence of changing states that, upon completion, produces a final state identical to the original one.

   2. one of a succession of periodically recurring events.

   3. a complete alteration in which a phenomenon attains a maximum and minimum value, returning to a final value equal to the original one.

7. Mathematics. a permutation of a set of elements that leaves the original cyclic order of the elements unchanged.

8. Computers.

   1. the smallest interval of time required to complete an operation in a computer.

   2. a series of computer operations repeated as a unit.

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verb (used without object)

• cycles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cycled,
  past participle,  past
• cycling
  present participle

1. to ride or travel by bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.

2. to move or revolve in cycles; pass through cycles.

idioms

1. hit for the cycle, (of one player) to hit a single, double, triple, and home run in one game.

cycle British  

/ ˈsaɪkəl /

noun

1. a recurring period of time in which certain events or phenomena occur and reach completion or repeat themselves in a regular sequence

2. a completed series of events that follows or is followed by another series of similar events occurring in the same sequence

3. the time taken or needed for one such series

4. a vast period of time; age; aeon

5. a group of poems or prose narratives forming a continuous story about a central figure or event

   the Arthurian cycle

6. a series of miracle plays

   the Chester cycle

7. a group or sequence of songs See song cycle

8. short for bicycle tricycle motorcycle

9. astronomy the orbit of a celestial body

10. a recurrent series of events or processes in plants and animals

    a life cycle

    a growth cycle

    a metabolic cycle

11. physics a continuous change or a sequence of changes in the state of a system that leads to the restoration of the system to its original state after a finite period of time

12. one of a series of repeated changes in the magnitude of a periodically varying quantity, such as current or voltage

13. computing

    1. a set of operations that can be both treated and repeated as a unit

    2. the time required to complete a set of operations

    3. one oscillation of the regular voltage waveform used to synchronize processes in a digital computer

14. (in generative grammar) the set of cyclic rules

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verb

1. (tr) to process through a cycle or system

2. (intr) to move in or pass through cycles

3. to travel by or ride a bicycle or tricycle

cycle Scientific  

/ sī′kəl /

1. A single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon.

2. See also period

3. A circular or whorled arrangement of flower parts such as those of petals or stamens.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cycling
  noun
• supercycle
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cycles
  plural

Participles

• cycling
  present
• cycled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cycle
  simple
• cycles
  simple
• have cycled
  perfect
• has cycled
  perfect
• am cycling
  progressive
• are cycling
  progressive
• is cycling
  progressive
• have been cycling
  perfect progressive
• has been cycling
  perfect progressive

Past

• cycled
  simple
• had cycled
  perfect
• was cycling
  progressive
• were cycling
  progressive
• had been cycling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cycle
  simple
• will have cycled
  perfect
• will be cycling
  progressive
• will have been cycling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of cycle

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cicle, from Late Latin cyclus, from Greek kýklos “cycle, circle, wheel, ring, disk, orb”; see also wheel

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Explanation

A cycle is a series of events that happen repeatedly in the same order. Or, it is a slang term for a bicycle. If you ride a cycle to work, we suggest putting your clothes through the wash cycle twice — or wear strong cologne. We get cycle from Latin cyclus and Greek kuklos, both meaning "circle." So you can see where bi- (two) and tri- (three) + cycle got their names. Nowadays, cycle can be a verb or a noun: You can ride a cycle or you can cycle to the park. The same holds true when you’re talking about a sequence of repeating events: The seasons cycle through spring, summer, fall, and winter. The plant life cycle goes from seed to flower to seed dispersal.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cycle cycles cycled cycling

The team discovered that this rise drives excessive mTORC1 activity, disrupting the normal cycle of protein production and removal.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

I was touring “Deeper Well” and wrapping up that cycle, and was going through a transition in my romantic life, and it was hard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

This seasonal cycle has continued for thousands of years, but satellite measurements reveal that the amount of ice covering the ocean has declined substantially at both ends of the cycle.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

El Nino, the warming phase of a natural climate cycle, also threatens progress because its effects include droughts, creating conditions for wildfires.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Maybe we’ve all changed over the last moon cycle.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Jim Paulsen, who’s seen a few cycles over his four-plus decades in the investment business, says part of what’s happening amid high inflation and moribund jobs growth seems familiar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The latest steps are mainly concentrated in "strategic infrastructure investment", said Oxford Economics' Yue, meaning that they are "likely to generate weaker near-term employment and income gains than previous stimulus cycles".

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

He said heavy rain could overwhelm drainage systems and penetrate walls, causing damp and erosion, while repeated cycles of wetting, drying, freezing and thawing could harm stonework.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Around a third are over 90 years old and are far past their expected life cycles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Everything under the sun came full circle—the seasons, the stars, the cycles of life itself.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

It cycled through a range of staticky notes—the frequencies that would heal us.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

In Omaha, he cycled through various careers: He started his own excavating business, then began farming, with Warren Buffett later purchasing a farm for him to work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

There was no reply before he headed off but one minute after he cycled away, a reply landed in his Instagram account.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Head coach Raul Lara has cycled through three players in the position so far this season, and the standout against Corona Centennial on Friday was Paytyn Guess.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

Then I cycled the rover's airlock with the inner door open.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

A 2026 study published in GeroScience followed 82 older adults who continued cycling over a nine-year period.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Alan Hirst, 19, was cycling home to Adforton, Herefordshire, in February when it is believed he fell from his bike on the flooded A4110 and suffered a cardiac arrest when he entered the water.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Astronomers call the exchange of material into and out of galaxies baryon cycling.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

The office also can lift obstacles to building more affordable housing, while using its prosecutor role to shift many homeless offenders to diversion programs “rather than cycling people between jails and our streets,” Roy said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

On the Earth before life, there may already have been chemical processes resembling respiration and photosyn thesis cycling in the soil, perhaps to be incorporated by life once it arose.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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Related Words

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