cycle

[ sahy-kuhl ]

/ ˈsaɪ kəl /

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See synonyms for: cycle / cycled / cycles / cycling on Thesaurus.com

noun

any complete round or series of occurrences that repeats or is repeated.

a round of years or a recurring period of time, especially one in which certain events or phenomena repeat themselves in the same order and at the same intervals.

any long period of years; age.

a bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.

a group of poems, dramas, prose narratives, songs etc., about a central theme, figure, or the like: the Arthurian cycle.

Physics.

a sequence of changing states that, upon completion, produces a final state identical to the original one.
one of a succession of periodically recurring events.
a complete alteration in which a phenomenon attains a maximum and minimum value, returning to a final value equal to the original one.

Mathematics. a permutation of a set of elements that leaves the original cyclic order of the elements unchanged.

Computers.

the smallest interval of time required to complete an operation in a computer.
a series of computer operations repeated as a unit.

verb (used without object), cy·cled, cy·cling.

to ride or travel by bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.

to move or revolve in cycles; pass through cycles.

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

Idioms about cycle

hit for the cycle, Baseball. (of one player) to hit a single, double, triple, and home run in one game.

Origin of cycle

1350–1400; Middle English cicle<Late Latin cyclus<Greek kýklos cycle, circle, wheel, ring, disk, orb; see wheel

OTHER WORDS FROM cycle

su·per·cy·cle, noun

Words nearby cycle

cyclamic acid, cyclandelate, cyclas, cyclase, cyclazocine, cycle, cycle billing, cyclecar, cycle of erosion, cycle rickshaw, cyclery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cycle in a sentence

For years, brands and agencies were caught in a self-defeating cycle, where agencies didn’t pitch gaming ideas to brands because they assumed brands didn’t know what to do with them.
Why new agencies are trying to capitalize on the online gaming boom|jim cooper|February 12, 2021|Digiday
Oftentimes, you can soak your clothing, linen, or other fabrics in a pre-soak cycle, wash, and then enjoy the fresh-scented and stain-free result.
Pet Stain & Odor Removers That Get The Job Done|PopSci Commerce Team|February 9, 2021|Popular-Science
This is just the latest flashpoint in a cycle of delayed elections, public frustration and fraying political legitimacy in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Coup claim deepens Haiti's political crisis|Dave Lawler|February 8, 2021|Axios
Our bodies groove to the familiar rhythms of heartbeats and breaths — persistent cycles essential to survival.
Brain’s ‘Background Noise’ May Hold Clues to Persistent Mysteries|Elizabeth Landau|February 8, 2021|Quanta Magazine

This cycle of defensiveness and shame can make it harder to parent in that moment.
Remote school is stressing parents out. Here’s how to tame the anxiety.|Devorah Heitner|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
It almost mirrors the Buddhist cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma|Brendon Hong|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eventually, the mistletoe bush grows, blooms, and forms berries, and the cycle begins anew.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Newsroom aired its final episode on Sunday, already an eternity ago in news-cycle terms.
A Few Great Men Too Many: Aaron Sorkin Doesn’t Think You Can Handle the Truth|Arthur Chu|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To break her self-destructive cycle and heal, she decides to hike 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail solo.
Exclusive: The Making of Reese Witherspoon’s Golden Globe-Nominated ‘Wild’|Marlow Stern|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Especially given that we just spent almost $4 billion during the 2013-14 election cycle?
Just What We Needed: More Campaign Spending|Mark McKinnon|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sexual cycle can take place only within the body of one genus of mosquito, anopheles.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Here they enter red corpuscles as young malarial parasites, and the majority pass through the asexual cycle just described.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Still hanging to Clip's canteen, he jerked the motor-cycle away from the bushes, got into the saddle, and started the pedals.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Matt went down, with the motor-cycle on top of him, head and shoulders over the brink of the precipice.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Matt had come to a quick stop, disengaging his right foot from the toe-clip and bracing the motor-cycle upright.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for cycle

cycle

/ (ˈsaɪkəl) /

noun

a recurring period of time in which certain events or phenomena occur and reach completion or repeat themselves in a regular sequence

a completed series of events that follows or is followed by another series of similar events occurring in the same sequence

the time taken or needed for one such series

a vast period of time; age; aeon

a group of poems or prose narratives forming a continuous story about a central figure or eventthe Arthurian cycle

a series of miracle playsthe Chester cycle

a group or sequence of songsSee song cycle

short for bicycle, tricycle, motorcycle

astronomy the orbit of a celestial body

a recurrent series of events or processes in plants and animalsa life cycle; a growth cycle; a metabolic cycle

physics a continuous change or a sequence of changes in the state of a system that leads to the restoration of the system to its original state after a finite period of time

one of a series of repeated changes in the magnitude of a periodically varying quantity, such as current or voltage

computing

a set of operations that can be both treated and repeated as a unit
the time required to complete a set of operations
one oscillation of the regular voltage waveform used to synchronize processes in a digital computer

(in generative grammar) the set of cyclic rules

verb

(tr) to process through a cycle or system

(intr) to move in or pass through cycles

to travel by or ride a bicycle or tricycle

Derived forms of cycle

cycling, noun, adjective

Word Origin for cycle

C14: from Late Latin cyclus, from Greek kuklos cycle, circle, ring, wheel; see wheel

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 cycle

cycle

[ sī′kəl ]

A single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon. See also period.

A circular or whorled arrangement of flower parts such as those of petals or stamens.

cycle

Idioms about cycle

Origin of cycle

OTHER WORDS FROM cycle

Words nearby cycle

Words related to cycle

How to use cycle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cycle

Derived forms of cycle

Word Origin for cycle

Scientific definitions for cycle