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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

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

How to use cycle in a sentence

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks||January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The most recent issue contains detailed instructions for building car bombs, and the magazine frequently draws up hit-lists.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre|Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sands was involved in a scandalous-for-the-time romance with the carpenter and there were rumors she was pregnant with his child.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The big slug happened to hit the suspect in the street, passing through his arm and then striking Police Officer Andrew Dossi.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Many of us had been hit by the balls, but a bruise or a graze of the skin was the worst consequence that had ensued.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
He shut his fist and hit Butterface a weak but well intended right-hander on the nose.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
One of the men seemed pretty bad, being hit in the head and in the body.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
You never know when you are going to stumble upon a jewel in the most out-of-the-way corner.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

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 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