circuit

[ sur-kit ]

/ ˈsɜr kɪt /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR circuit ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of going or moving around.

a circular journey or one beginning and ending at the same place; a round.

a roundabout journey or course.

a periodical journey from place to place, to perform certain duties, as by judges to hold court, ministers to preach, or salespeople covering a route.

the persons making such a journey.

the route followed, places visited, or district covered by such a journey.

the line going around or bounding any area or object; the distance about an area or object.

the space within a bounding line; district: the circuit of the valley.

Electricity.

Also called electric circuit. the complete path of an electric current, including the generating apparatus, intervening resistors, or capacitors.
any well-defined segment of a complete circuit.

Telecommunications. a means of transmitting communication signals or messages, usually comprising two channels for interactive communication.Compare channel¹(def 12).

a number of theaters, nightclubs, etc., controlled by the same owner or manager or visited in turn by the same entertainers or acting companies.

a league or association: He used to play baseball for the Texas circuit.

verb (used with object)

to go or move around; make the circuit of.

verb (used without object)

to go or move in a circuit.

Nearby words

circlet, circleville, circlip, circlorama, circs, circuit, circuit analyzer, circuit binding, circuit board, circuit breaker, circuit court

Idioms

ride circuit, Law. (of a judge) to travel a judicial county or district in order to conduct judicial proceedings.

Origin of circuit

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin circuitus, variant of circumitus circular motion, cycle, equivalent to circu(m)i-, variant stem of circu(m)īre to go round, circle (circum- circum- + īre to go) + -tus suffix of v. action; cf. ambit, exit¹

SYNONYMS FOR circuit

2 tour, revolution, orbit.

7 circumference, perimeter, periphery, boundary, compass.

8 region, compass, area, range, field.

11 chain.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR circuit ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

cir·cuit·al, adjectivemin·i·cir·cuit, nounmul·ti·cir·cuit, nounmul·ti·cir·cuit·ed, adjective

non·cir·cuit·ed, adjectivesub·cir·cuit, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for circuit

And in September 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ordered the release of a 21-photo subset.
The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See|Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Take the case of Herx v. Diocese of Fort Wayne, an employment discrimination suit in the Seventh Circuit.
Catholic Church: Religious Freedom Trumps Civil Rights|Jay Michaelson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Most of the young trekkers traversing the circuit still find time to check their email and update their Facebook pages.
Nepal’s Deadliest Avalanche Was Totally Avoidable|Dick Dorworth|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the meantime, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is investigating the incident.
The Ray Rice of Judges May Keep His Job|Tim Mak|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And this was how, on Aug. 11, Aaron Walker and his co-defendants ended up on the 9th floor of the Montgomery County circuit court.
The Weirdest Story About a Conservative Obsession, a Convicted Bomber, and Taylor Swift You Have Ever Read|David Weigel|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A, B, C represent the circuit wires from the terminals of the window and door switches, to the annunciators.
Electricity for Boys|J. S. Zerbe
From this decision Mr. Peyton shortly afterwards appealed to the Circuit Court, then the appellate tribunal in such cases.
Memoir of John Howe Peyton|Various
A current indicator is inserted in the circuit consisting of a solenoid of nine turns.
Scientific American Supplement No. 822|Various
This may be shown by a galvanometer put in the circuit before beginning the experiment.
Things a Boy Should Know About Electricity|Thomas M. (Thomas Matthew) St. John
He cut in the circuit, and waited for the phone's TV screen to show the face of his caller.
The Penal Cluster|Ivar Jorgensen (AKA Randall Garrett)

British Dictionary definitions for circuit

circuit

/ (ˈsɜːkɪt) /

noun

a complete route or course, esp one that is curved or circular or that lies around an object
the area enclosed within such a route

the act of following such a routewe made three circuits of the course

a complete path through which an electric current can flow
(as modifier)a circuit diagram

a periodical journey around an area, as made by judges, salesmen, etc
the route traversed or places visited on such a journey
the persons making such a journey

an administrative division of the Methodist Church comprising a number of neighbouring churches

English law one of six areas into which England is divided for the administration of justice

a number of theatres, cinemas, etc, under one management or in which the same film is shown or in which a company of performers plays in turn

sport

a series of tournaments in which the same players regularly take partthe international tennis circuit
the circuit the contestants who take part in such a series

mainly British a motor racing track, usually of irregular shape

verb

to make or travel in a circuit around (something)

Derived Forms

circuital, adjective

Word Origin for circuit

C14: from Latin circuitus a going around, from circumīre, from circum around + īre to go

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for circuit

circuit

[ sûr′kĭt ]

A closed path through which an electric current flows or may flow.♦ Circuits in which a power source is connected to two or more components (such as light bulbs, or logic gates in a computer circuit), one after the other, are called series circuits. If the circuit is broken, none of the components receives a current. Circuits in which a power source is directly connected to two or more components are called parallel circuits. If a break occurs in the circuit, only the component along whose path the break occurs stops receiving a current.

A system of electrically connected parts or devices.