circuit

American  

[sur-kit] / ˈsɜr kɪt /

noun

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)

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

verb (used without object)

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

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

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; 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

In Chatterjee’s view, Coherent “is uniquely positioned to capture its fair share of this expansion” in both CPO and optical circuit switching.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

What was once a small, urban, English-speaking circuit has grown into a far bigger, more diverse scene, powered by YouTube and Instagram, where comics can reach millions directly.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

In his view, the company is uniquely positioned to snap up share in two emerging growth areas: co-packaged optics and optical circuit switches.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

L.A. literature: In a durably famous metaphor for Southern California, “The Crying of Lot 49’s” heroine, Oedipa, compares the sight of a distant sprawling suburb to a transistor radio’s printed circuit board.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

That was because the name on the folded paper was not Cool Papa Byrd, as he was known on the blues circuit, uptown and downtown.

From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• course
• district
• lap
• route
• tour