closed loop

[ klohzd-loop ]

/ ˈkloʊzd ˈlup /

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noun

Computers, Electronics. the complete path followed by a signal as it is fed back from the output of a circuit, device, or system to the input and then back to the output.Compare feedback loop.

Engineering.

a processing system in which effluents are recycled, that is, treated and returned for reuse.
an automatic control system operating on a feedback principle.

a recursive concept, process, or system in which there is no beginning or end point, but rather the products of one phase become the materials for the next, whose products themselves are the materials for the original phase: A circular economy is a closed loop, employing reuse, sharing, and remanufacturing to reduce waste.

Also called closed time loop . (in science fiction) a loop in space-time created by someone or something traveling back in time and setting in motion the events of the very timeline that leads to the time travel event, once again setting off events in the past that ultimately result in their being sent back in time, in an infinite, repeating loop.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of closed loop

First recorded in 1945–50

Words nearby closed loop

closed-end investment company, closed fracture, closed game, closed gentian, closed interval, closed loop, closed-minded, closedown, closed plan, closed position, closed primary

Other definitions for closed loop (2 of 2)

closed-loop

[ klohzd-loop ]

/ ˈkloʊzdˈlup /

adjective

Engineering.

of or relating to a processing system in which effluents are recycled, that is, treated and returned for reuse.
of or relating to an automatic control system operating on a feedback principle.See also feedback (def. 2).

of or relating to a recursive concept, process, or system in which there is no beginning or end point, but rather the products of one phase become the materials for the next, whose products themselves are the materials for the original phase: Around 75 percent of aluminum is kept out of landfills by closed-loop recycling, where used cans are pressed into ingots and rerolled into new cans, which can one day be recycled themselves.

Origin of closed-loop

First recorded in 1950–55

How to use closed loop in a sentence

Instead of an infinite string of distinct numbers, you end up in a small, closed loop.
Mathematicians Set Numbers in Motion to Unlock Their Secrets|Kelsey Houston-Edwards|February 22, 2021|Quanta Magazine
On a less cosmic front, two mathematicians finally cracked an old problem in May about what kind of rectangles can be found by connecting points on a smooth and continuous closed loop.
The Year in Math and Computer Science|Bill Andrews|December 23, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Basically, we have a closed loop, and generate better and better images.
Are We Wired to Be Outside? - Issue 92: Frontiers|Grigori Guitchounts|November 11, 2020|Nautilus
With a lot of these, the full closed loop measurement hasn’t been set up.
‘Race to deliver’: Pernod Ricard CMO Pam Forbus on a new anti-hate speech initiative and how the coronavirus changed the company’s marketing|Kristina Monllos|October 22, 2020|Digiday

The film includes beautifully clear descriptions and visualizations — for example, lines winding around a doughnut shape illustrate Mirzakhani’s study of the number of closed loops that can form on various curved surfaces.
A documentary and a Bollywood film highlight two disparate paths in mathematics|Emily Conover|October 15, 2020|Science News
The system could operate on a closed loop, recycling its water and harnessing the power of the sun.
Why Architects Dream Big—and Crazy|Nate Berg|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The symbiotic relationship is part of what The Plant calls its closed-loop system.
Vertical Indoor Farms Are Growing in the U.S.|Miranda Green|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The "R" has a flat closed loop on the left side of the staff.
Warren Commission (7 of 26): Hearings Vol. VII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
The ankh merely vibrates to evil because of the closed loop at the top, which makes a return circuit.
The Eyes Have It|Gordon Randall Garrett
Thus, you see, magnetism produces electricity in the closed loop of wire as it cuts through the magnetic lines of force.
ABC of Electricity|William Henry Meadowcroft
The f is longer than the , the g has a very fine form with a closed loop, the r is sharpened, the t straight.
Writing & Illuminating, & Lettering|Edward Johnston