cycle

American  

[sahy-kuhl] / ˈsaɪ kəl /

noun

cycles plural

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

2. 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.

3. any long period of years; age.

4. a bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.

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

   the Arthurian cycle.

6. Physics.

   1. a sequence of changing states that, upon completion, produces a final state identical to the original one.

   2. one of a succession of periodically recurring events.

   3. a complete alteration in which a phenomenon attains a maximum and minimum value, returning to a final value equal to the original one.

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

8. Computers.

   1. the smallest interval of time required to complete an operation in a computer.

   2. a series of computer operations repeated as a unit.

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verb (used without object)

cycles, present (3rd person singular) cycled, past participle, past cycling present participle

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

2. to move or revolve in cycles; pass through cycles.

idioms

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

cycle British  

/ ˈsaɪkəl /

noun

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

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

3. the time taken or needed for one such series

4. a vast period of time; age; aeon

5. a group of poems or prose narratives forming a continuous story about a central figure or event

   the Arthurian cycle

6. a series of miracle plays

   the Chester cycle

7. a group or sequence of songs See song cycle

8. short for bicycle tricycle motorcycle

9. astronomy the orbit of a celestial body

10. a recurrent series of events or processes in plants and animals

    a life cycle

    a growth cycle

    a metabolic cycle

11. 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

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

13. computing

    1. a set of operations that can be both treated and repeated as a unit

    2. the time required to complete a set of operations

    3. one oscillation of the regular voltage waveform used to synchronize processes in a digital computer

14. (in generative grammar) the set of cyclic rules

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verb

1. (tr) to process through a cycle or system

2. (intr) to move in or pass through cycles

3. to travel by or ride a bicycle or tricycle

cycle Scientific  

/ sī′kəl /

1. A single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon.

2. See also period

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cycling
  noun
• supercycle
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cycles
  plural

Participles

• cycling
  present
• cycled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cycle
  simple
• cycles
  simple
• have cycled
  perfect
• has cycled
  perfect
• am cycling
  progressive
• are cycling
  progressive
• is cycling
  progressive
• have been cycling
  perfect progressive
• has been cycling
  perfect progressive

Past

• cycled
  simple
• had cycled
  perfect
• was cycling
  progressive
• were cycling
  progressive
• had been cycling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cycle
  simple
• will have cycled
  perfect
• will be cycling
  progressive
• will have been cycling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of cycle

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cicle, from Late Latin cyclus, from Greek kýklos “cycle, circle, wheel, ring, disk, orb”; see also wheel

Explanation

A cycle is a series of events that happen repeatedly in the same order. Or, it is a slang term for a bicycle. If you ride a cycle to work, we suggest putting your clothes through the wash cycle twice — or wear strong cologne. We get cycle from Latin cyclus and Greek kuklos, both meaning "circle." So you can see where bi- (two) and tri- (three) + cycle got their names. Nowadays, cycle can be a verb or a noun: You can ride a cycle or you can cycle to the park. The same holds true when you’re talking about a sequence of repeating events: The seasons cycle through spring, summer, fall, and winter. The plant life cycle goes from seed to flower to seed dispersal.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cycle cycles cycled cycling

Nelson expects that if he and his colleagues select a stock early enough in the company’s growth cycle, the P/E multiple will increase.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

“For example, if you know the correct moon cycle to go fishing on, lay your nets on the right tide, at the right place, you will have a higher success rate.”

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

“Anyone can become a victim,” Ali Torre said, “Our goal is to intervene and prevent. There are little boys we can have conversations with: ‘You don’t have to repeat the cycle.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

For once this cycle, the Maine Senate race just had to be normal.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

They have gone through this cycle at least twice, possibly more—rising to awesome heights, eroding away to nothingness, rising again, each time recycling their component materials in a dazzlingly confused and complex geology.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

These prediction markets are relatively young, and if states have various approaches to the question, we can see in a natural experiment how things go in a few election cycles.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

The Calamos team tries to identify companies at ideal stages of their growth cycles through “a combination of database screens, interaction of company management teams and studying sell-side analysts models and communicating with sell-side analysts.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

“By understanding nature’s cycles and natural rhythms. Māori understood the connection between moon, sun, tides and seasons, the way all animals behave,” says Venner.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

Established in 2020, Sarah's Trust was "dedicated to supporting frontline, grassroots work to address the humanitarian and environmental crisis, the hunger crisis and issues perpetuating cycles of extreme poverty", according to its website.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

In particular, our planet has experienced numerous cycles of cooling and warming.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Some 30.2m people cycled at least once in Britain in the past year, according to British Cycling, which is the highest number it has been since 2019-20.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Participants who recycled, used reusable cups and containers, took public transportation, ate greener diets, or cycled to work were no less likely to support wider climate policies and collective action.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

His numbers dropped off last season, though, as the Browns cycled through five different quarterbacks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

"One day I cycled past this shop and I saw it was empty, and I had one of those moments."

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

Dad and I cycled through all our favorite moves as if it were a dance-off.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Tour de France organisers announced that they were shortening the following day's final stage of the cycling race due to the wildfires ravaging southwest France.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

“I think the cycling world doesn’t realize how important the team is and how hard it is for the team that is riding for the yellow jersey—and also the white jersey,” Pogacar said on Saturday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

As the race heads to the Alpe d’Huez for two stages, before a final-day fight on the streets of Montmartre, hundreds of thousands of fans are flocking to the most celebrated roads in cycling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The para-cyclist, who won gold in athletics and cycling at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, has missed the last two Commonwealth Games because of injury.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

A chopper that had been cycling above started to descend and move toward the crowd.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Related Words

• course
• period
• revolution
• rhythm
• round
• series