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

And those members of the administration’s extended circle who are, ahem, free to trade.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

Aside from the guy I was dating, much of my social circle had left California during the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

The BBC's Bernd Debusmann explains who she is and how she came to hold such a prominent role in the president's inner circle.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

They warned that the circle of people “who you can trust implicitly” will get smaller, he recalled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

I saw the fairy ring and remembered the wish I had made when I knelt in the center of that snow-white circle.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

The orbiter circles the Moon from pole to pole once every two hours as the Moon slowly rotates beneath it.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

The LRO, in service since 2009, circles the Moon from pole to pole every two hours while the Moon rotates underneath it.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

"The results at some were literally off the scale and will have a big impact in professional circles, assuming they cannot continue to try to ignore them now," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Not all of Sybylla’s experiences are upbeat or encouraging—she is constitutionally incapable of conforming, which gets her in constant trouble among the more proper circles into which she is thrust.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

“Guys,” I say, but they’re jumping and running in circles.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Two helicopters circled to drop rose petals over the Virgin Mary, which stands in a large crown with open arms, during Saturday's ceremony.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Roberts didn’t have a specific day circled to resume playing catch, and Ohtani didn’t provide one, either.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Ohtani is expected to begin playing catch in the near future, but Roberts didn’t have a specific day circled for catch play or his return to the mound.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Keep Calm and Skate on,” read another as dozens of skaters circled the mall’s huge ice rink.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

“Okay,” Natalie said as Churro circled them and barked.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

He transformed the interior and altered the exterior windows, making it difficult for the characters to see the dangers circling outside.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

That word — intentional — came up so often during my interviews that I eventually started circling it in my notebook.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Silver Lake’s takeover of Workday would send a clear signal to investors that private-equity firms are circling software.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Blackstone circling $36 billion debt package to back Anthropic’s Google chip rentals.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

He remembered the warriors circling them in the jungle, jeering and whooping.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

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