circumference

[ ser-kuhm-fer-uhns ]

/ sərˈkʌm fər əns /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for circumference on Thesaurus.com

noun

the outer boundary, especially of a circular area; perimeter: the circumference of a circle.

the length of such a boundary: a one-mile circumference.

the area within a bounding line: the vast circumference of his mind.

OTHER WORDS FOR circumference

1 periphery, circuit.

See synonyms for circumference on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

it's

its

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of circumference

1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin circumferentia, equivalent to circum-circum- + fer- (stem of ferre to carry) + -entia-ence

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH circumference

circumference , diameter, radius, tangent

Words nearby circumference

circumcircle, circumcise, circumcision, circumcolumnar, circumduction, circumference, circumferential, circumferential fibrocartilage, circumferential lamella, circumferentor, circumfix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use circumference in a sentence

This hat will grow with your kids, suiting a circumference size of 7 to 12 inches.
Best winter hats: Comfortable hats to keep you warm|Carsen Joenk|January 20, 2021|Popular-Science
Instead, in addition to looking at waist circumference, your health-care provider will note clinical markers indicative of visceral adiposity, Jay says.
Some trainers tout HIIT as the best way to burn belly fat. Here’s what science says.|Pam Moore|December 15, 2020|Washington Post
Effective range is the distance at which you can reliably place a shot within a circle that matches the size of the vital organs of an animal—about the circumference of a paper plate for a deer or an elk.
The Beginner's Guide to Hunting|Ian Fohrman|October 30, 2020|Outside Online
Each band comes with two different lengths for the longer side to fit wrists between 5 and 8 inches in circumference.
Smartwatch accessories to give your high-tech friends and family|PopSci Commerce Team|October 1, 2020|Popular-Science

For landscape shots, set your camera on screen mode so you aren’t blinded by the viewfinder, and shoot directly into the sun and around its circumference.
11 Great Microadventures You Can Do Now|The Editors|October 1, 2020|Outside Online
The rest that extends beyond the circumference of the meat quickly melts down onto the surface of the flattop.
The Real Cheeseburger Paradise|Jane & Michael Stern|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pi is officially defined as the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
17 Facts to Crack the Mystery of Pi|Abby Haglage|March 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The course is about a mile and a half in circumference, and the "straight" about five furlongs in length.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
Their branches describe a circle of more than eighty feet in circumference, but they no longer bear fruit.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
The rock towers to a height of two hundred and fifty feet and is about a mile in circumference.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
Its circumference is not very considerable, but nearly the same all the way up, which gives it the look of a tower.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
On the circumference of the barrel are gear teeth, and those teeth engage corresponding teeth on the arbor of the center.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various

British Dictionary definitions for circumference

circumference

/ (səˈkʌmfərəns) /

noun

the boundary of a specific area or geometric figure, esp of a circle

the length of a closed geometric curve, esp of a circle. The circumference of a circle is equal to the diameter multiplied by π

Derived forms of circumference

circumferential (səˌkʌmfəˈrɛnʃəl), adjectivecircumferentially, adverb

Word Origin for circumference

C14: from Old French circonference, from Latin circumferre to carry around, from circum- + ferre to bear

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

Scientific definitions for circumference

circumference

[ sər-kŭm′fər-əns ]

The boundary line of a circle.

The boundary line of a figure, area, or object.

The length of such a boundary. The circumference of a circle is computed by multiplying the diameter by pi.

Cultural definitions for circumference

circumference

[ (suhr-kum-fuhr-uhns) ]

The measure of the distance around a circle.

circumference

OTHER WORDS FOR circumference

Origin of circumference

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH circumference

Words nearby circumference

Words related to circumference

How to use circumference in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for circumference

Derived forms of circumference

Word Origin for circumference

Scientific definitions for circumference

Cultural definitions for circumference