traffic circle

American  

noun

traffic circles plural

1. a circular arrangement constructed at the intersection of two or more roads in order to facilitate the passage of vehicles from one road to another.

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traffic circle British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): roundabout.  a road junction in which traffic streams circulate around a central island

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• traffic circles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of traffic circle

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The arch, resembling the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, is proposed for a traffic circle on Columbia Island, which sits in the Potomac River that hugs Washington.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

He has proposed building an arch in a traffic circle near Arlington National Cemetery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025

All day and all night, people drive through the traffic circle entrance to campus, beeping their horns - either supporting or in opposition to Kirk.

From BBC • Sep. 13, 2025

At the traffic circle in Orange, we roamed the many antique stores and came across some things from my childhood that are now considered antiques.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2023

He came to a large traffic circle where the road going north crossed the Oxford ring road going east and west.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• roundabout