circa

American  

[sur-kuh] / ˈsɜr kə /

preposition

1. about: used especially in approximate dates: ca, ca., c., c, cir., circ.

   The Venerable Bede was born circa 673.

---

circa British  

/ ˈsɜːkə /

preposition

1. Abbreviation: c..   ca..  (used with a date) at the approximate time of

   circa 1182 bc.

---

Etymology

Origin of circa

First recorded in 1860–65; from Latin: “around, about,” akin to circus circus

Example Sentences

This circa 1636 painting is among Peter Paul Rubens’s last great works, a lovely vision of rural life crowned by a sweeping, colorful arc.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

"Anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of leasehold knows that outright and immediate abolition of circa five million English and Welsh leases is almost certainly impossible."

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is still the most sizable disruption, “effectively sidelining circa 20% of LNG trade,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

It was beyond disconcerting to hear the Iranian foreign minister on Sunday sounding like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky circa 2022.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

He selected a speech from The Silver Cord, a play by Sidney Howard, first performed in 1926, but whose action took place in a New York drawing room circa 1905.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago