semicircle

[ sem-i-sur-kuhl ]

/ ˈsɛm ɪˌsɜr kəl /

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See synonyms for semicircle on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also called sem·i·cir·cum·fer·ence

[sem-ee-ser-kuhm-fer-uhns, -fruhns, sem-ahy-]. /ˌsɛm i sərˈkʌm fər əns, -frəns, ˌsɛm aɪ-/. half of a circle; the arc from one end of a diameter to the other.

anything having or arranged in the form of a half of a circle.

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 semicircle

From the Latin word sēmicirculus, dating back to 1520–30. See semi-, circle

OTHER WORDS FROM semicircle

sem·i·cir·cu·lar

[sem-i-sur-kyuh-ler], /ˌsɛm ɪˈsɜr kyə lər/, adjectivesem·i·cir·cu·lar·ly, adverbsem·i·cir·cu·lar·ness, noun

Words nearby semicircle

semibituminous coal, semibold, semibreve, semicentenary, semicentennial, semicircle, semicircular canal, semicivilized, semiclassical, semicolon, semicoma

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

How to use semicircle in a sentence

The next morning, Kerry joins his counterparts on the stage of the primary convention hall, surrounded by hundreds of youth climate activists seated in a semicircle surrounding the stage.
John Kerry Is Bringing America Back Into the Climate Fight|Justin Worland/Naples. Italy|October 28, 2021|Time
The cap on this tree-growing mushroom is a wide semicircle, flat on the bottom and hoof-shaped on top.
The two types of fungi you want in your fire-starting kit|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|February 16, 2021|Popular-Science
In this case, the best you could do was to cut the semicircle in half, forming two quarter-circles that could be stacked directly on top of each other.
Can You Eat All The Chocolates?|Zach Wissner-Gross|October 2, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
He ate half of it, and he wants to save the remaining semicircle of pizza in his refrigerator.
Can You Save Some Cold Pizza?|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 25, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

In less than sixty seconds he would become the focus of a hidden and annihilating fire from a semicircle of houses.
The Real Memorial Day: Oliver Wendell Holmes's Salute To A Momentous American Anniversary|Malcolm Jones|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He then spread his arms dramatically, drawing a semicircle of emptiness.
The Extinction Parade: An Original Zombie Story by Max Brooks|Max Brooks|January 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
When we reached high ground again the twilight was fading to a semicircle of bloodshot gray in the northwest.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The French troops, strung out in a great semicircle on the Ebro, were quickly concentrated.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
On the outside, two small flights of steps, forming a semicircle, lead up to the top.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
The temples, twenty-seven in number, are excavated in tall perpendicular cliffs, which form a semicircle.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Some twenty of the boys went up, and stood in a large semicircle round the desk.
Eric, or Little by Little|Frederic W. Farrar

British Dictionary definitions for semicircle

semicircle

/ (ˈsɛmɪˌsɜːkəl) /

noun

one half of a circle
half the circumference of a circle

anything having the shape or form of half a circle

Derived forms of semicircle

semicircular (ˌsɛmɪˈsɜːkjʊlə), adjectivesemicircularly, adverb

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

semicircle

Origin of semicircle

OTHER WORDS FROM semicircle

Words nearby semicircle

Words related to semicircle

How to use semicircle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for semicircle

Derived forms of semicircle