circuit

American  

[sur-kit] / ˈsɜr kɪt /

noun

• circuits
  plural

1. an act or instance of going or moving around.

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

   Synonyms:

   orbit, revolution, tour

3. a roundabout journey or course.

4. 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.

5. the persons making such a journey.

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

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

   Synonyms:

   compass, boundary, periphery, perimeter, circumference

8. the space within a bounding line; district.

   the circuit of the valley.

   Synonyms:

   field, range, area, compass, region

9. Electricity.

   1. Also called electric circuit. the complete path of an electric current, including the generating apparatus, intervening resistors, or capacitors.

   2. any well-defined segment of a complete circuit.

10. Telecommunications. a means of transmitting communication signals or messages, usually comprising two channels for interactive communication.

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

    Synonyms:

    chain

12. a league or association.

    He used to play baseball for the Texas circuit.

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verb (used with object)

• circuits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• circuited,
  past participle,  past
• circuiting
  present participle

1. to go or move around; make the circuit of.

verb (used without object)

• circuits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• circuited,
  past participle,  past
• circuiting
  present participle

1. to go or move in a circuit.

idioms

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

circuit British  

/ ˈsɜːkɪt /

noun

1. 1. a complete route or course, esp one that is curved or circular or that lies around an object

   2. the area enclosed within such a route

2. the act of following such a route

   we made three circuits of the course

3. 1. a complete path through which an electric current can flow

   2. ( as modifier )

      a circuit diagram

4. 1. a periodical journey around an area, as made by judges, salesmen, etc

   2. the route traversed or places visited on such a journey

   3. the persons making such a journey

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

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

7. 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

8. sport

   1. a series of tournaments in which the same players regularly take part

      the international tennis circuit

   2. the contestants who take part in such a series

9. a motor racing track, usually of irregular shape

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verb

1. to make or travel in a circuit around (something)

circuit Scientific  

/ sûr′kĭt /

1. A closed path through which an electric current flows or may flow.

2. ◆ 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.

3. A system of electrically connected parts or devices.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• minicircuit
  noun
• multicircuit
  noun
• subcircuit
  noun
• circuital
  adjective
• multicircuited
  adjective
• noncircuited
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• circuits
  plural

Participles

• circuiting
  present
• circuited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• circuit
  simple
• circuits
  simple
• have circuited
  perfect
• has circuited
  perfect
• am circuiting
  progressive
• are circuiting
  progressive
• is circuiting
  progressive
• have been circuiting
  perfect progressive
• has been circuiting
  perfect progressive

Past

• circuited
  simple
• had circuited
  perfect
• was circuiting
  progressive
• were circuiting
  progressive
• had been circuiting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will circuit
  simple
• will have circuited
  perfect
• will be circuiting
  progressive
• will have been circuiting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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, exit ¹

Explanation

A circuit is a circular path. It could be the circuit of an electric current or the route of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If you’re promoting your new book, you’ll be making the talk show circuit. What all these circuits have in common the idea of tracing a circle. A circuit preacher doesn't stay at one church, but instead travels from church to church, following a particular route. Originally US judges traveled from town to town, too, and today’s division of the country into twelve judicial circuits is a holdover from that era — "the Third Circuit," for instance, includes Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

circuit circuits circuited circuiting

I learned my lesson after a heat wave in Davis, Calif.: A power surge from an exploding transformer fried the circuit board of my refrigerator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The result, in Bartlett’s short claymation films, which played the animation festival circuit and appeared on “Sesame Street,” was a daydreamer with a football-shaped head.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

As the putative front runner, Braintree MP and former home secretary and foreign secretary James Cleverly has been working the conference circuit very hard.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The circuit court permanently wiped my conviction from my record, and the trial court dismissed the case for good.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Just a few months into the season, I had fenced well enough in the domestic competitions that I now had a high enough national ranking to compete on the international circuit.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

The circuits transmit signals via four antennas on the box for several hundred yards, on frequencies the unit believes Russia is currently using.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

So, it's no surprise that on two hugely engine-dependent circuits such as Monza and Baku, they would struggle.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

A year ago, locals in the Plaka neighbourhood had warned the city and utility companies about the risk of gas leaks or short circuits, according to a letter by the residents' association published by Kathimerini.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

Neurons may use large amounts of ATP during REM sleep to support memory-related synaptic reorganization, communication between the hippocampus and cortex, or broad transitions across brain circuits.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Its orbit is so irregular that for substantial periods on each of its lonely circuits around the Sun it is closer to us than Neptune is.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

It is a sleek pod — half spaceship, half motherboard, with glass floors and a ceiling circuited with green neon tubes — on the eighth floor of a building in the bustling Shibuya district.

From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2023

She shows no bitterness about the turn of events that short circuited her diplomatic trajectory.

From Washington Times ● May 31, 2014

Their invention, Roominate, offers girls the experience of building a working circuited dollhouse in pastel colors.

From Time ● Nov. 27, 2013

Wouldn’t that have short- circuited, say, the return of Steve Jobs to Apple?

From BusinessWeek ● Nov. 30, 2011

Short Circuited Cells: In cases of short circuited cells, the voltage of the cell will be almost down to zero.

From The Automobile Storage Battery Its Care And Repair by Otto A. Witte

Warnings had not been heeded that damp ash conducts electricity, short circuiting power lines and substations.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Her thoughts spiraled: “Is he short circuiting? I thought…Is this a stroke?…Has he been drugged?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

The explosion in Karachi was the result of short circuiting inside a room where the electric system is controlled, according to Nasir Aftab, who is deputy-inspector general for the city’s police.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 29, 2021

Barbare spent much of her time circuiting the provinces, trying to help her feckless husband and then her hapless son salvage catastrophic careers.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 22, 2019

There was no chance of circuiting it, for the wall was as smooth as if it had been chiselled.

From Prester John by John Buchan

Related Words

• course
• district
• lap
• route
• tour