circle1 nouncircle2 verb
circlecir‧cle1 /ˈsɜːkəl $ ˈsɜːr-/ ●●● S2 W2 noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINcircle1
Origin:
1000-1100 Old French cercle, from Latin circulus, from circus; ➔ CIRCUSEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a circle of chairs
- By 1920 she had written two novels, and had succeeded in winning recognition in literary circles.
- Cut the dough into several small circles.
- Draw a circle around the right answer.
- I want you to form two circles, one inside the other. Boys on the outside, girls on the inside.
- It was the 1960s, and the military had become unpopular among academic and intellectual circles.
- The circle of stones at Stonehenge is thought to have originally been a temple.
- The flashlight threw a dim circle of light onto the wall.
- The teacher drew a circle on the blackboard.
- This circle is 4 inches in diameter.
- We all stood in a circle and tossed the ball to each other.
- Calling circles give discounts when you call other customers of the same long-distance carrier you have.
- Hippie dips, or hot pots, are circles of rocks built around natural hot springs.
- Over to your right in the distance, half-hidden by a fold of land, is a broken circle of stone monoliths.
- The circles were there, perfectly.
- The drawbacks of this relationship are its stolid dullness and its tendency to focus power in a small circle of people.
- They had big half circles of pure white skin below.
- We hold on to one another, an unsteady circle, and leave the room together.
- Without a plan you will end up going in circles and wasting your life away.
THESAURUStypes of shapes
a shape with four straight sides that are equal in length and four angles of 90 degrees
a round shape that is like an O
half a circle
a shape with three straight sides and three angles
a shape with four straight sides and four angles of 90 degrees
a shape like a circle, but that is longer than it is wide
an object in the shape of a tube
a solid object with six equal square sides
a shape with a square base and four triangular sides that meet in a point at the top
a shape like a ball
Longman Language Activatora circle an area or line that is in the shape of a circle: · The teacher drew a circle on the blackboard.· The circle of stones at Stonehenge is thought to have originally been a temple.· The flashlight threw a dim circle of light onto the wall.in a circle (=in a shape like a circle): · We all stood in a circle and tossed the ball to each other.form a circle (=to make a group of people or things in the shape of a circle): · I want you to form two circles, one inside the other. Boys on the outside, girls on the inside.
a line that is in the shape of a circle, especially of people or things surrounding something: · The cottage was surrounded by a ring of trees.· The cup left a dark ring on the table.· The hostage's wrists had red rings on them where the ropes had been pulled tight.in a ring (=in a shape like a circle): · The children sat around him in a ring, eager to hear his story.
a shape like a curve or a circle made by a line curving back towards itself: · The road goes round in a loop and rejoins the main road about 2 kilometres past the town.
shaped like a circle shaped like a circle: · In the kitchen there was a round table with a vase of flowers on it.· Violet stared at him with her huge round eyes.· The moon was perfectly round that night.
shaped like a circle, or moving in the shape of a circle: · The cattle are kept in a large enclosure surrounded by a circular fence.· The villa has a circular courtyard with rooms leading off it in all directions.· The procession follows a circular route through the town, and finishes back in the park.
shaped like a circle but with two slightly flat sides · In the dining room is a highly polished oval table with matching chairs.· She was a pretty woman with an oval face.
shaped like an egg, slightly wider at one end: · The chocolates are egg-shaped and full of nuts.
shaped like a circle but with two slightly flat sides: · The earth moves around the sun in an elliptical orbit.· A striking feature of this architectural style is the elliptical windows.
something that is shaped like a circle an object that is in the shape of a circle with a large round space in the middle: · Cut the onion into rings and fry in a little oil.· You have to throw the wooden rings so that they land around the bottles.· He sat in a corner blowing smoke rings.
also disc British an object that is in the shape of a flat circle: · He gazed up at the pale yellow disk of the moon.· Each player chooses a coloured disk and places it on the board in the space marked 'go'.
something such as a piece of string or wire that is curved round to make a shape almost like a circle: · The gate was attached to the post by a loop of rusty wire.· Pull the end of the string through the loop and tighten.
to draw a circle around something to draw a circle around something that is written or drawn on a page, especially in order to make it easier to see or notice: · Two of the advertisements in the paper had been circled.· Someone had ringed all the important landmarks on the map in pencil.
half a circle · Behind the beach is a huge semicircle of limestone cliffs.in a semicircle · The teacher had arranged the desks in a semicircle.
moving in a circle or moving around something also round British use this after verbs of movement, to show that someone or something is moving in a circle or moving around something: go/fly/travel/run etc around: · The Earth goes around the Sun.· The helicopter flew round and round above us.
if someone or something moves in circles , they move around in a circle several times: · Birds flew in circles above the lake.· As the dog got more and more excited, it started running around in circles.
especially written to move around someone or something in a circle: · The plane circled the airport several times before landing.circle around/above: · As we walked along the beach, I could see seagulls circling above the cliffs.
to go around the Earth, the Moon, the Sun etc in a continuous circular movement: · The satellite will orbit the Earth for the next 15 years.· The team confirmed the discovery of a planet orbiting the star 51 Pegasi.
a group of friends also circle the people you know, especially a group of friends who all know each other and often meet socially: · He had a large circle of friends.· Since my children have started school, my circle has widened to include the mothers of other kids.
spoken a group of male or female friends who often do things together: · Sally's having a night out with the girls from the office.· It's his poker night with the boys.
informal a small group of friends who often meet socially: · I usually go out with the gang on Saturday nights.one of the gang (=accepted into the group of friends): · She's not really one of the gang, but I invited her to the party.
informal a group of friends who often do things or go out together: · He wasn't with his usual crowd last night.· It may be necessary to change your child's school if they get in with a bad crowd.
: the tennis/golf club/arty etc set a group of friends who meet socially, especially because they are all interested in the same sport or activity, especially an expensive one: · She likes to mingle with the arty set.
a group of people who know each other, and will help each other, even if this means being slightly dishonest: · Weiss was careful not to upset his political cronies.· Her father is probably in the bar, drinking with his cronies.
a group of people who are similar or have similar ideas a number of people who are similar in some way, or who have the same ideas and aims: · Their policy was to keep demonstrators from different political groups apart.group of: · The factory was burned down by a group of animal-rights activists.
British informal a group of people - use this especially about people that you do not like or do not approve of: · I don't like her new friends - they're a snobbish lot.lot of: · We've got another lot of visitors coming this weekend.that lot (=use this to show disapproval) spoken: · Don't take any notice of that lot, they're just ignorant.
a group of people, especially people who you think are strange or unusual: collection/assortment of: · There was an interesting collection of people at the wedding.· Jack brought an odd collection of characters home from the racetrack.· We shared the train compartment with an odd assortment of fellow travellers.
: the criminal/student/fascist etc element a group of people who have the same ideas, aims, beliefs etc that are different from those of a larger group - use this especially about people you do not like or agree with: · The chief had been warned that there were criminal elements within the Security Police.· They seem to be trying to get rid of all left-wing elements in the party.· The committee agreed on the need to get rid of the hooligan element amongst football supporters.
a large group of people who share the same ideas and beliefs, and who work together to achieve something important: · She was active in a number of political movements, including the campaign to end slavery.the peace/environmental/women's etc movement: · One of the leaders of the pro-democracy movement has been arrested.· The aim of the civil rights movement was to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms.
a group of artists, writers etc who share the same ideas, style of work etc: · There is no denying the influence of the Impressionist school in his painting.· He seems to be very much part of the Marxist school in his approach to politics.school of thought (=a group of people who believe in the same theory, idea etc): · One school of thought argues that introducing stiffer penalties would bring the crime rate down.
: literary/political/academic etc circles people who work in or are interested in literature, politics etc: · By 1920 she had written two novels, and had succeeded in winning recognition in literary circles. · It was the 1960s, and the military had become unpopular among academic and intellectual circles.
a group of people who are all dealt with together at the same time, for example because they are all starting something together: batch of: · The latest batch of new recruits had just arrived at the camp.
to make no progress at all to not progress at all with a piece of work or activity: · The lawyers are trying to reach an agreement but so far no progress has been made.make no progress on: · Because of bad weather we made no progress on the house for the next three days.make no progress in: · Police were making no progress in their efforts to trace a man seen near the scene of the murder.make no progress with: · The city council have made no progress with their plans to rebuild the town hall.
informal to not progress at all, even though you have worked hard: · I feel as though I'm getting nowhere in this job.· Not surprisingly, the peace talks got nowhere.get nowhere with: · Don started to learn Arabic, but he was getting nowhere with it.get nowhere fast: · The project was eating up time and money and seemed to be getting nowhere fast.
if a piece of work or activity goes badly , it does not make progress or develop in the way you would like it to: · My essay isn't going very well. It's difficult to find any useful books on the subject.· Despite all the government's efforts, the war on drugs is going badly.
also go round in circles British to keep discussing the same problems without making any decisions or finding any answers: · This conversation's going around in circles again.· Every time we try to reach a decision, we end up going round in circles.
to stop developing or improving and often become worse: · Business here has stagnated compared with other wine-producing regions.· Everyone needs new challenges. Otherwise you just stagnate.
to go around in circles if something turns , it moves around a fixed central point: · Slowly the wheels of the train began to turn.· I heard the door knob turning, and then Frank opened the door and tiptoed in.· As the propeller stopped turning, Grady ran up to the plane.
also go round British to move in a continuous circular movement: · When the fan goes around it forces the warm air back down.· The gear was going round, but it didn't seem to be catching on anything.
to turn around many times very quickly: · The ice skater began to spin faster and faster.· The wheels were spinning in the mud, but the car wouldn't move.spin aroundalso + round British: · The boy was spinning around in his father's desk chair.
to turn around and around a fixed point: · The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours.· A disco ball revolved slowly over the empty dance floor.· The stage rotates giving the audience a constantly changing view.
also go/run/drive etc round in circles especially British to go, run, drive etc continuously or repeatedly around in a circular way: · The children went round in circles till the music stopped.· We were driving around in circles, weaving through the parking lot.
also go/run/drive etc round and round British to go around in circles many times: · Billy will sit and watch his train going round and round on its little track for hours.· The steers walked restlessly around and around their pen.
to spin around extremely quickly, often in an uncontrolled way: · The blades of the helicopter whirled powerfully overhead.whirl aroundalso + round British: · Flies whirled round the piles of sticky sweets.· Dust and sand were whirling around in the air, as the desert wind began to get stronger.
to move slowly upwards or downwards in a circular way around a central point, while also moving either in towards the centre or out from it: · Smoke spiralled upward from the chimney.· We watched the leaves spiral down from the trees in the cold autumn wind.
if water, dust, mist etc swirls , it keeps turning around quickly in a twisting, circular movement: · Dust swirled like smoke in the evening sunshine.swirl aroundalso round British: · Jessie's pale dress swirled round her slender ankles.· The wind swirling around the tree had blown all the snow away from its trunk.
if a bird or aircraft circles , it flies around above a particular place, waiting for something: · We all looked towards the sky where the vultures were circling.· The plane circled the runway several times before landing.circle overhead/above etc: · Helicopters circled overhead, trying to get pictures of the crime scene.
if someone twirls, they spin around very quickly, especially as part of a dance: · Rachel took her father's hand and twirled in and out under his arm.twirl around/about: · Half a dozen couples were twirling about to a waltz.
WORD SETSadapt, verbamphitheatre, nounapron, nounaside, nounaudition, nounaudition, verbauditorium, nounbackcloth, nounbackdrop, nounbackstage, adjectivebalcony, nounbiz, nounbox, nounbox office, nounburlesque, nounchorus, nounchorus girl, nouncircle, nouncomedy of manners, nouncommand performance, nouncurtain, nouncurtain call, noundame, noundinner theater, noundirect, verbdirector, noundouble bill, noundownstage, adverbdramatic, adjectivedramatic irony, noundramatis personae, noundramatist, noundress circle, noundresser, noundressing room, noundress rehearsal, noundumb show, nounentertainment, nounexeunt, verbexit, verbfarce, nounflashback, nounfootlights, nounfringe theatre, noungreasepaint, nounharlequin, nounhouse, nounimage, nounimagery, nounimprovise, verbinterlude, nounkitchen sink drama, nounlead, nounluvvie, nounmake-up, nounmarquee, nounmezzanine, nounmime, verbmiscast, verbmummer, nounmusical, nounmusic hall, nounmystery play, nounnumber, nounoffstage, adverbon, adjectiveopera, nounopera house, nounoperetta, nounorchestra pit, nounoveract, verbpantomime, nounplay, verbplay, nounplaybill, nounplayer, nounplaygoer, nounplayhouse, nounplaywright, nounportray, verbprincipal boy, nounprompter, nounprop, nounproscenium, nounpuppeteer, nounrendering, nounrendition, nounrep, nounrepertory, nounrevival, nounrevue, nounrole, nounrun, verbrun, nounrunway, nounsafety curtain, nounscene, nounscenery, nounseating, nounset, nounsoliloquy, nounspeech, nounstage, nounstage, verbstage direction, nounstage door, nounstage fright, nounstagehand, nounstage manager, nounstage name, nounstagestruck, adjectivestage whisper, nounstaging, nounstock, nounstock company, nountheatre, nountheatregoer, nountheatre-in-the-round, nountheatrical, adjectivetheatricals, nounthespian, nountitle role, nountragedian, nountragedy, nountragic, adjectivetragicomedy, noununderstudy, noununderstudy, verbupstage, adverbvaudeville, nounwalk-on, nounwardrobe, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Meaning 3phrases
The police have a closed circle of suspects. a shoal of tiny fish swimming round in circlesCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· Over the years she had established a circle of good friends.
(=a group of people that someone knows)· She has a wide circle of acquaintances.
(=a group of people who admire someone)· When she was young, Sophie had a large circle of male admirers.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + circle· There has been a lot of debate about this issue in political circles.
· They now had a wide circle of acquaintances in the area.
· Ken was the centre of a small circle of artists and writers.
(=the people who influence someone the most)· He was among the prime minister’s inner circle of advisers.
· Dan and I didn’t mix in the same social circles.
· It’s important for children to have friends outside the family circle.
(=your family and some close friends)· We didn’t tell anyone what had happened outside our immediate circle.
(=in which the people know each other very well)· He cultivated a close circle of musical acquaintances.
(=a close one)· His intimate circle was tiny.
(=not open to other people)· He didn’t have much experience of life beyond the closed circle of his family.
· His writing was popular with a limited circle of enthusiasts.
verbs· She was beautiful and had a wide circle of admirers.
(=belong to a particular type of circle)· At Harvard he moved in scientific circles.
· He was a powerful member of a circle of financiers.
(=make it include more people)· In London she set about widening her circle.
· Michael built up a wide circle of customers and friends worldwide.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The police have a closed circle of suspects. (=all the friends someone has)· Her small circle of friends used to play cards together.
(=an area of light)· They stood in the pool of light cast by the streetlamp.
a shoal of tiny fish swimming round in circles· He also expressed his disappointment at the lack of support from his colleagues in academic circles.· War and the military had become unpopular in academic and intellectual circles.· We have described two uses of the survey method which originated outside academic circles.· The burden of the essay will be merely to indicate how voluntarism can succeed in academic circles.· There is much of it already in academic circles and also in business centers.· Criticism and debate are to be welcomed, however, and should not be confined to academic circles.
· Anybody outside his close immediate circle was intrigued by the Guinness enigma.· And most of them begin at home, with ourselves and our closest circle of friends.
· The landowners lived centrally, and around them, in concentric circles as it were, lived the working people.· Instead, there was a series of concentric circles, surrounding a small black disk.· This is on concentric, double circle plan, with central dome and sloping outer roofs.· The targets are black men with superimposed concentric circles declining to a solid, black bullseye.· The words run along each concentric circle and not across circles.· Julian's Bower, at Alkborough, Lincolnshire, is altogether more elaborate, having twelve concentric circles.· The strata are now much folded and appear on the surface as a series of concentric circles.· The model constructed by Nairn resembles a series of concentric circles.
· After moisturising, disguise thread veins, blemishes and dark circles under the eyes with a good concealer.· These in turn merge gradually into dark circles and bright outer rings with no evidence of impact cratering.· A lookout watched for the tell-tale dark circle of a shoal of sardines.· And two little beady eyes with dark blue circles under them whether I sleep enough or not.· His teeth were gritted together and he had dark circles under his eyes.· Haven't you seen the dark circles under her eyes?· There at a table was a clearly dejected, drooping Auguste, with large dark circles under his eyes.
· Cross the Bahnhof bridge, and you will have come full circle back to the starting point.· Today, society has evolved and the wheel has come full circle.· We had come back like the full circle of our route, intact.· Then the car swung all the way back, full circle, the lanes of the freeway streaking under me.· The neo-colonial wheel has almost come full circle.· A manufacturer of sun care products has just issued a report showing that the view on tanning has come full circle.· Thus the wheel had turned full circle.
· The intrigue, if one existed, was worthy of the inner circle of the Imperial court on far distant Knossos.· Edna McGurk came from an insular inner circle of elite Philadelphia society.· He is not one of the inner circle, and does not know where his orders came from.· But the vortex fills as he nears its inner circle.· The inner circle represents activities that are accepted as sport in all countries and fulfil all of Rodgers' criteria.· Hubbell, part of the Clintons' inner circle, is intimately familiar with their financial affairs.· But in Johnson's inner circle of advisers, there were fewer defections.· Why would a member of his inner circle record such an event?
· There are no ground rules for knowing how to handle these semi-permanent relationships in the context of the larger family circle.· But even if we do accept the larger stone circles as computers, this does not really explain why people made them.· As you bend and straighten your legs, make a large circle with your arms.· They flew side by side, making large, irregular circles.· Successively larger circles indicate amplitudes of 30°, 40° and 50°.· A scholar or a particular work by a scholar may locate him / her in larger circles of shared collective life.· Brush the whole cake with apricot glaze, then roll out the remaining marzipan to a large circle to cover.· Curd took the group, seated in a large circle, through the various steps of coping with grief.
· Eleanor's husband had secured his first lectureship, and her first novel had been acclaimed in literary circles.· By 1920 she had proved herself by earning a living in a difficult world, and by winning recognition in literary circles.· There are several appreciative remarks about him by members of the literary and artistic circle.· Bill Raeper was well known in literary circles in Oxford.
· He could see Chris in the little circle surrounding Finnegan's ball.· Harder, harder, the fingers moved slowly around toward her windpipe, making little circles on the way.· Bobbie occupied with Marie's little circle would have less time and energy for stalking David Chester with the Fieldfare family pistol.· Weld helped her find little circles of women on whom to practice public speaking; before long, men started attending.· So it was transparent, with these little black circles in it that seemed to jump backwards and forwards at you.· In 1939 they were still politically unknown outside their own little circle.
· Perhaps deities were transported in ships to describe a magic circle of divine protection round the whole island.· Occultists also claim to cast out demons affecting or possessing one of their number, and even friends outside their magic circles.
· There are various species of Sizewell men - no, in modern political circles, Sizewell people.· The hot topic in political circles here is who might become Sen.· Yet he had somehow established a reputation in political circles as something out of the ordinary.· For the most part these newspapers were owned by persons high in political circles or were subsidized by special interest groups.· After the Gulf War he was promoted rapidly and began to mix more in political circles.· But hardly anyone in political circles, including Republican loyalist redoubts on Capitol Hill, believes that right now.· For now, such notions of bigness play well in political circles but thankfully not in all banking ones.· On the basis of available facts, the Mandelas' cult following in international political circles seems inexplicable.
· The office of prime minister is a lonely and uniquely stressful one, and most develop their own small circle of confidants.· For much of its short history, the computer world was inhabited by a small circle of researchers, students and hobbyists.· A bonfire blazed inside a small circle of stones.· Next, a smaller circle, the epicycle, was drawn with its center on the circumference on the deferent.· The drawbacks of this relationship are its stolid dullness and its tendency to focus power in a small circle of people.· It was a small closed circle that I think will open even wider now.· He was instantly recognizable in the small but influential circle he kept.· Its industries' products remained luxuries, reserved for a small circle of town-dwellers, or for export.
· Depending upon the social circles in which the young adult moves there will be more or less pressure towards getting married.· After this she removed herself from her social circle, and avoided the company of any but a very few friends.· She's quite a popular figure in social circles.· Alfred wanted Amy to marry some one in their own social circle, as their eldest, William, had done.· It did not imply membership of a social circle but an attitude of mind.· The civilities of politeness and social etiquette may ensure that the locals' resentment is voiced only in their own social circle.· Similarly, the unemployed found the focus of their social circle also becoming centred on heroin.· They may have lost touch with their friends and have to start again to build up a new social circle.
· He took Susan Hart's directions and found the no-through road and the turning circle and the track.· The turning circles remain unchanged, but the steering wheel only requires 3.4 turns from lock-to-lock.· His car was in the turning circle.
· This has produced a nastily vicious circle.· I had to destroy, once and for all, the vicious circle of poverty and economic stagnation.· The result, in short, was a vicious circle.· And if the auction houses aren't doing well ... it's a vicious circle.· Marital dissatisfaction can lead to adultery which, in turn, exacerbates dissatisfaction in a vicious circle.· Think of the vicious circle of hyperventilation.· How can this vicious circle be broken?· We would get back into a vicious circle.
· Fox was a nice man, much liked among a wide circle of his fellow-clergy.· They flew in wide, eccentric circles and I realized that the birds were drunk.· His passing leaves a sore gap in his family circle and in his wider circle of friends and acquaintances.· A dozen boats idled in a wide circle around the flames.· He has heard, perhaps from the Ambassador, that I have a wide circle of friends and acquaintances over there.· The assumptions underlying the deconstructionist view of reality linger on in surprisingly wide circles of influence in the 1990s.· Through contracts and franchises handed out to associates, a wider circle of loyalists has made a fortune.· Charles Olson relied on his wide circle of literary friends when he recruited for Black Mountain.
NOUN· Today Oxfordshire's Tim Henman justified the tributes being paid to him in court circles!· By 1633 he was already moving in court circles.
· I imagined solemn covens chanting, straggling torchlight processions winding up to mountain tops, stone circles, sacred trees and springs.· It is true we no longer live in the cultures that produced the great temples or stone circles or earthworks.· But even if we do accept the larger stone circles as computers, this does not really explain why people made them.· Under sheltering trees stand three cairns and stone circles, worn yet awesomely dignified after more than 5,000 years.· In the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, we find the beginning of temples, stone circles, and monumental earthworks.· This Land of Our Fathers comes complete with Celtic stone circle, ancient swamps and iron-age huts.· In the west of Ireland a small roadside shrine to the Virgin Mary stands almost alongside an equally modest stone circle.
VERB· With points 0, 2, 4 etc, as centres draw quadrants of circles with radius 9.· I drew a circle with my finger on the concrete rim of the fountain.· They have drawn out the magical circle simply to trap the adventurers, when they saw them approaching the area.· He put the page on the desk and drew a circle on it.· Picabia was drawn into the circle, probably by Apollinaire with whom he had recently become friendly.· Peter drew a circle on the notepad with his pen then divided the circle into eight sections.· The toe of his right sandal slowly drew a circle.· Neurologists like to draw a circle and ask the patient to fill in a clock face.
· The herd solves this problem by forming a defensive circle when marauding wolves attack.· They form a circle and keep tossing, industriously, carefully.· Those within the existing Community who hesitate over future commitments would form the next circle.· Hilda returned to her seat next to Omite, while the other women seemed to form a circle that excluded her.· They all formed a loose circle around the stretcher.· One starts playing a harmonica, the others form a circle.· It contains five plain gold rings, interlinked to form a circle.· Still others formed circles of worshippers in their communities to celebrate the seasons and the special moments of their lives.
· He moved in exalted circles - and was ambitious for greater things.· But even for those who move freely in this circle of literary classics, Characters still has some problems.· Then he slowly began moving in a circle until he was directly behind his father.· Tanya insists on moving in many circles and, above all, on thinking for herself.· It was a pleasing thought, that I might soon be moving in more exalted circles.· Use the spatula to move half the circles to a cookie sheet.· As if they would move in the same circles.· Once the first bid has been made, the game moves clockwise in the circle.
· Down on the beach Tonton now ran in a crazy circle, his tail tucked between his legs.· Mobutu would run circles around us.· First, I needed to know whether the axis running through the circle centres continued to the church at Bishops Cannings.· They were running in a circle, essentially, going nowhere.· They had run circles round me.· I had a tendency to run around in circles getting more and more worked up.· The words run along each concentric circle and not across circles.· He ran great loopy circles, barking with delight, while Master dodged and dived, trying to catch him.
· Blind Man's Buff Everyone sits in a circle with one person sitting blindfolded in the middle.· I sat in a circle of fire for one whole night as my body became scorched with blisters.· In a dusty room in the Pearce Institute the children sat round in a circle.· They sit in a circle surrounded by family and friends.· They then sit in a circle and hold their bags unopened.· As they do every morning, the girls sit in a circle in the middle of the floor, stretching and talking.· Description of the game Children all sit in a circle.· We sit in a circle in anxious anticipation.
· The attraction of the concept was that it allowed him to square a number of circles at once.· This squaring of the circle is the hardest of their tasks.· There is no sureness of touch, no deft ability to square circles as and when required.· This is as difficult as trying to square a circle.· Where are the leaders who can square this vicious circle?· The only way of squaring the circle to Moscow's satisfaction would be to send in troops.· On his last point, Labour has manifestly failed to square the circle.· Britain, ever the Atlanticist, tried to square the circle, and usually failed.
· They were both good dancers and gradually the other couples drifted off the floor and stood in a circle watching them.· Each fills her bucket and comes to stand in a circle around me.· Next, long white streamers tied into an intricate pattern in the centre were handed to various women standing in the circle.· Jody stands outside the circle, watching and listening.· BThe children begin by standing in a circle, holding hands.· The mourners stood in a circle on the sand, three hundred yards down from the parking lot.· The embarrassed nomes stood around in a circle.· Brownies stand in a circle facing inwards with their legs apart.
· Now his fortunes are poised to turn full circle again.· Now the pattern has turned full circle.· She turned in a complete circle.· The wheel has turned full circle in the past 25 years.· Sadly events have turned full circle and those who defended the university then must do so again.· Thus the wheel had turned full circle.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► (dark) circles under your eyesPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- We've got to solve the problem instead of running around in circles, writing letters that never get answered.
- I had a tendency to run around in circles getting more and more worked up.
- She jumps up and down and runs around in circles.
- That's why there are no solutions and the characters endlessly go around in circles in discussions.
- After the experiments of the 1960s, education has come full circle in its methods of teaching reading.
- A manufacturer of sun care products has just issued a report showing that the view on tanning has come full circle.
- Cross the Bahnhof bridge, and you will have come full circle back to the starting point.
- In a way, we've almost come full circle back to what I was trained to do, which is teaching.
- Only a classic endures, and sooner or later the fashion comes full circle.
- So we have come full circle.
- The neo-colonial wheel has almost come full circle.
- Thus the research has come full circle.
- Today, society has evolved and the wheel has come full circle.
- Chen saw the knife describe an arc through the air and felt himself flinch.
- A manufacturer of sun care products has just issued a report showing that the view on tanning has come full circle.
- Now his fortunes are poised to turn full circle again.
- Now the pattern has turned full circle.
- Only a classic endures, and sooner or later the fashion comes full circle.
- The neo-colonial wheel has almost come full circle.
- The wheel has turned full circle in the past 25 years.
- Thus the research has come full circle.
- Today, society has evolved and the wheel has come full circle.
- But the vortex fills as he nears its inner circle.
- He is not one of the inner circle, and does not know where his orders came from.
- His decision was upheld by nearly every senior official in his inner circle.
- Hubbell, part of the Clintons' inner circle, is intimately familiar with their financial affairs.
- In fact, several guidebooks were conspiracies to conceal this information, and repel invaders from outside the initiated inner circle.
- Morris's ideas still provoke tension in the Clinton White House, even if Morris is absent from the inner circle.
- The inner circle represents activities that are accepted as sport in all countries and fulfil all of Rodgers' criteria.
- The intrigue, if one existed, was worthy of the inner circle of the Imperial court on far distant Knossos.
- Occultists also claim to cast out demons affecting or possessing one of their number, and even friends outside their magic circles.
- Perhaps deities were transported in ships to describe a magic circle of divine protection round the whole island.
- ACCORDING to acquaintances who move in the twilight world of Private Eye, the satirical magazine is hoping for a Conservative victory.
- As if they would move in the same circles.
- He moved in exalted circles - and was ambitious for greater things.
- I thought I could move in the world of all possible lights, and breathe, breathe, breathe.
- In the 1980s there has been a general move in museum education circles towards active learning experiences on site.
- It was a pleasing thought, that I might soon be moving in more exalted circles.
- Tanya insists on moving in many circles and, above all, on thinking for herself.
- We move in the same circles.
- You can't use words like that in polite company.
- Her passion for natural history became increasingly fashionable in polite society during the 17605.
- In the good old days of rampant dualism, the mind was rarely mentioned in polite society.
- It was not the sort of thing you did in polite company.
- It was obvious from the scenes that such behavior did not belong in polite society.
- Trevor Proby is another, of course, but his notables should not be discussed in polite company.
- With sad paradox, Mr Punch himself became the man in the Bateman cartoon, unwelcome in polite company.
- Britain, ever the Atlanticist, tried to square the circle, and usually failed.
- On his last point, Labour has manifestly failed to square the circle.
- The only way of squaring the circle to Moscow's satisfaction would be to send in troops.
WORD FAMILYnouncirclesemicirclecirculationadjectivecircularsemicircularcirculatoryverbcirclecirculate
1shape a completely round shape, like the letter O: Draw a circle 10 cm in diameter. Cut the pastry into circles.2arranged in a circle a group of people or things arranged in the shape of a circle: The children stood round in a circle.circle of a circle of chairs3group of people a group of people who know each other and meet regularly, or who have similar interests or jobscircle of a circle of friendspolitical/legal/literary etc circles He’s well-known in fashionable circles. Johnson was part of the president’s inner circle (=the people who have the most influence).4theatre British English the upper floor of a theatre, that has seats arranged in curved rows SYN balcony American English5go/run around in circles to think or argue about something without deciding anything or making progress6come/go full circle (also turn full circle British English) to end in the same situation in which you began, even though there have been changes in the time in between: Sooner or later, fashion comes full circle.7(dark) circles under your eyes dark areas under your eyes that you have when you are very tired → square the circle at square3(5), → vicious circleCOLLOCATIONS– Meaning 3phrasesa circle of friends· Over the years she had established a circle of good friends.a circle of acquaintances (=a group of people that someone knows)· She has a wide circle of acquaintances.a circle of admirers (=a group of people who admire someone)· When she was young, Sophie had a large circle of male admirers.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + circleacademic/political/literary etc circles· There has been a lot of debate about this issue in political circles.a wide/large circle· They now had a wide circle of acquaintances in the area.a small/narrow circle· Ken was the centre of a small circle of artists and writers.somebody’s inner circle (=the people who influence someone the most)· He was among the prime minister’s inner circle of advisers.a social circle· Dan and I didn’t mix in the same social circles.the family circle· It’s important for children to have friends outside the family circle.somebody’s immediate circle (=your family and some close friends)· We didn’t tell anyone what had happened outside our immediate circle.a close circle (=in which the people know each other very well)· He cultivated a close circle of musical acquaintances.a close-knit/intimate circle (=a close one)· His intimate circle was tiny.a closed circle (=not open to other people)· He didn’t have much experience of life beyond the closed circle of his family.a limited circle· His writing was popular with a limited circle of enthusiasts.verbshave a circle of friends/acquaintances etc· She was beautiful and had a wide circle of admirers.move/mix in a circle (=belong to a particular type of circle)· At Harvard he moved in scientific circles.be a member of a circle· He was a powerful member of a circle of financiers.widen your circle (=make it include more people)· In London she set about widening her circle.build up/establish a circle· Michael built up a wide circle of customers and friends worldwide.circle1 nouncircle2 verb
circlecircle2 ●●○ verb VERB TABLE
circle
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | circle |
| he, she, it | circles | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | circled |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have circled |
| he, she, it | has circled | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had circled |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will circle |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have circled |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am circling |
| he, she, it | is circling | |
| you, we, they | are circling | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was circling |
| you, we, they | were circling | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been circling |
| he, she, it | has been circling | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been circling |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be circling |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been circling |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- As we walked along the beach, I could see seagulls circling above the cliffs.
- Glenn circled the date on his calendar.
- Helicopters circled overhead, trying to get pictures of the crime scene.
- Helicopters circled overhead.
- Kelly hit the ball over the fence and circled the bases.
- We all looked towards the sky where the vultures were circling.
- And then I saw a bee circling my head and I could not move.
- Before leaving, we lowered one of our motorboats to circle the area.
- He circled slowly and methodically up, holding his wings in a stiff, lacquered bow, never flapping, always soaring.
- Her arms circled his neck, as the words roared unstoppably inside her head.
- Instead, leaders increasingly see it as their job to circle the wagons.
- The birds flew up noisily, circled, and then they came down and settled in another tree not far away.
- You were both circling like gladiators.
Longman Language Activatora circle
an area or line that is in the shape of a circle: · The teacher drew a circle on the blackboard.· The circle of stones at Stonehenge is thought to have originally been a temple.· The flashlight threw a dim circle of light onto the wall.in a circle (=in a shape like a circle): · We all stood in a circle and tossed the ball to each other.form a circle (=to make a group of people or things in the shape of a circle): · I want you to form two circles, one inside the other. Boys on the outside, girls on the inside.
a line that is in the shape of a circle, especially of people or things surrounding something: · The cottage was surrounded by a ring of trees.· The cup left a dark ring on the table.· The hostage's wrists had red rings on them where the ropes had been pulled tight.in a ring (=in a shape like a circle): · The children sat around him in a ring, eager to hear his story.
a shape like a curve or a circle made by a line curving back towards itself: · The road goes round in a loop and rejoins the main road about 2 kilometres past the town.
shaped like a circle shaped like a circle: · In the kitchen there was a round table with a vase of flowers on it.· Violet stared at him with her huge round eyes.· The moon was perfectly round that night.
shaped like a circle, or moving in the shape of a circle: · The cattle are kept in a large enclosure surrounded by a circular fence.· The villa has a circular courtyard with rooms leading off it in all directions.· The procession follows a circular route through the town, and finishes back in the park.
shaped like a circle but with two slightly flat sides · In the dining room is a highly polished oval table with matching chairs.· She was a pretty woman with an oval face.
shaped like an egg, slightly wider at one end: · The chocolates are egg-shaped and full of nuts.
shaped like a circle but with two slightly flat sides: · The earth moves around the sun in an elliptical orbit.· A striking feature of this architectural style is the elliptical windows.
something that is shaped like a circle an object that is in the shape of a circle with a large round space in the middle: · Cut the onion into rings and fry in a little oil.· You have to throw the wooden rings so that they land around the bottles.· He sat in a corner blowing smoke rings.
also disc British an object that is in the shape of a flat circle: · He gazed up at the pale yellow disk of the moon.· Each player chooses a coloured disk and places it on the board in the space marked 'go'.
something such as a piece of string or wire that is curved round to make a shape almost like a circle: · The gate was attached to the post by a loop of rusty wire.· Pull the end of the string through the loop and tighten.
to draw a circle around something to draw a circle around something that is written or drawn on a page, especially in order to make it easier to see or notice: · Two of the advertisements in the paper had been circled.· Someone had ringed all the important landmarks on the map in pencil.
half a circle · Behind the beach is a huge semicircle of limestone cliffs.in a semicircle · The teacher had arranged the desks in a semicircle.
moving in a circle or moving around something also round British use this after verbs of movement, to show that someone or something is moving in a circle or moving around something: go/fly/travel/run etc around: · The Earth goes around the Sun.· The helicopter flew round and round above us.
if someone or something moves in circles , they move around in a circle several times: · Birds flew in circles above the lake.· As the dog got more and more excited, it started running around in circles.
especially written to move around someone or something in a circle: · The plane circled the airport several times before landing.circle around/above: · As we walked along the beach, I could see seagulls circling above the cliffs.
to go around the Earth, the Moon, the Sun etc in a continuous circular movement: · The satellite will orbit the Earth for the next 15 years.· The team confirmed the discovery of a planet orbiting the star 51 Pegasi.
to go around in circles if something turns , it moves around a fixed central point: · Slowly the wheels of the train began to turn.· I heard the door knob turning, and then Frank opened the door and tiptoed in.· As the propeller stopped turning, Grady ran up to the plane.
also go round British to move in a continuous circular movement: · When the fan goes around it forces the warm air back down.· The gear was going round, but it didn't seem to be catching on anything.
to turn around many times very quickly: · The ice skater began to spin faster and faster.· The wheels were spinning in the mud, but the car wouldn't move.spin aroundalso + round British: · The boy was spinning around in his father's desk chair.
to turn around and around a fixed point: · The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours.· A disco ball revolved slowly over the empty dance floor.· The stage rotates giving the audience a constantly changing view.
also go/run/drive etc round in circles especially British to go, run, drive etc continuously or repeatedly around in a circular way: · The children went round in circles till the music stopped.· We were driving around in circles, weaving through the parking lot.
also go/run/drive etc round and round British to go around in circles many times: · Billy will sit and watch his train going round and round on its little track for hours.· The steers walked restlessly around and around their pen.
to spin around extremely quickly, often in an uncontrolled way: · The blades of the helicopter whirled powerfully overhead.whirl aroundalso + round British: · Flies whirled round the piles of sticky sweets.· Dust and sand were whirling around in the air, as the desert wind began to get stronger.
to move slowly upwards or downwards in a circular way around a central point, while also moving either in towards the centre or out from it: · Smoke spiralled upward from the chimney.· We watched the leaves spiral down from the trees in the cold autumn wind.
if water, dust, mist etc swirls , it keeps turning around quickly in a twisting, circular movement: · Dust swirled like smoke in the evening sunshine.swirl aroundalso round British: · Jessie's pale dress swirled round her slender ankles.· The wind swirling around the tree had blown all the snow away from its trunk.
if a bird or aircraft circles , it flies around above a particular place, waiting for something: · We all looked towards the sky where the vultures were circling.· The plane circled the runway several times before landing.circle overhead/above etc: · Helicopters circled overhead, trying to get pictures of the crime scene.
if someone twirls, they spin around very quickly, especially as part of a dance: · Rachel took her father's hand and twirled in and out under his arm.twirl around/about: · Half a dozen couples were twirling about to a waltz.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The police have a closed circle of suspects. a shoal of tiny fish swimming round in circlesCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
The police have a closed circle of suspects. (=all the friends someone has)· Her small circle of friends used to play cards together.
(=an area of light)· They stood in the pool of light cast by the streetlamp.
a shoal of tiny fish swimming round in circles· We had our little mock boxing-matches, in my study, circling round the table as if it were a ring.· He swept down the gorge, circled round, and made a second pass at the Falls to lose altitude.· The aeroplane - quite a small one - was circling round far overhead.· Its engine is missing badly and it's circling round as if looking for a landing-place.· Those that are wounded and stunned will be consumed by the swordfish at leisure, circling round any that start to sink.· Thenceforth, it seems that everything is in ecstatic motion, and the church itself is circling round.· However, we sat round waiting patiently, and then a nasty-looking plane circled round.· We stood back in the shadows hypnotized by the flames and a family group circled round them.
· The males responded by puffing up their chests and circling slowly towards each other.· He circled slowly and methodically up, holding his wings in a stiff, lacquered bow, never flapping, always soaring.· Keep your foot flexed and start slowly circling your right leg, at the same time bringing it up in the air.· Feet astride, knees flexed, bodies perfectly balanced, the two began circling slowly, eyes locked, watchful.· Slowly circle your right arm I forward, then up and behind.· Again they circled slowly, eyes locked, alert.
NOUN· A pair of night birds circled above, the flapping of their wings and their eerie screeches penetrating the thickening mist.· And as I think this, I watch the birds circling in the sky.
· For most of the mission the orbiter will circle the Earth with the payload bay open and facing down towards the ground.· Placed at that single distance, moving at that speed, the object will continue to circle the Earth indefinitely.
· And he plans to keep running until he has circled the globe.· To make his vision a reality, Malamud has circled the globe, soliciting support from engineers, businessmen and officials.
· Now shipwreck looters brave a police helicopter circling overhead as they carry their spoils away by bicycle.· When critical habitat is designated, it does not mean federal agents in unmarked helicopters start circling private property.· Overhead the helicopter circled once more, making a black locust-shaped shadow on the sunlit turf of the plain.
· Together they sat and watched the plane circle.· As the plane circled in search of Dee Zed, the jump team was placed in position.· Then, as the plane began to circle above Moon Beach, her head drooped and tears fell into her lap.· However, we sat round waiting patiently, and then a nasty-looking plane circled round.· As they did so, the plane circled lower.· We catch sight of a small plane circling the mountain.
· Instead, leaders increasingly see it as their job to circle the wagons.· There is the natural tendency, too, for players to circle the wagons in the locker room.· Everybody circled up like wagon trains around the bleach vats and wood room and even the goddamn lunch table.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- Chen saw the knife describe an arc through the air and felt himself flinch.
- A manufacturer of sun care products has just issued a report showing that the view on tanning has come full circle.
- Now his fortunes are poised to turn full circle again.
- Now the pattern has turned full circle.
- Only a classic endures, and sooner or later the fashion comes full circle.
- The neo-colonial wheel has almost come full circle.
- The wheel has turned full circle in the past 25 years.
- Thus the research has come full circle.
- Today, society has evolved and the wheel has come full circle.
- But the vortex fills as he nears its inner circle.
- He is not one of the inner circle, and does not know where his orders came from.
- His decision was upheld by nearly every senior official in his inner circle.
- Hubbell, part of the Clintons' inner circle, is intimately familiar with their financial affairs.
- In fact, several guidebooks were conspiracies to conceal this information, and repel invaders from outside the initiated inner circle.
- Morris's ideas still provoke tension in the Clinton White House, even if Morris is absent from the inner circle.
- The inner circle represents activities that are accepted as sport in all countries and fulfil all of Rodgers' criteria.
- The intrigue, if one existed, was worthy of the inner circle of the Imperial court on far distant Knossos.
- Occultists also claim to cast out demons affecting or possessing one of their number, and even friends outside their magic circles.
- Perhaps deities were transported in ships to describe a magic circle of divine protection round the whole island.
- ACCORDING to acquaintances who move in the twilight world of Private Eye, the satirical magazine is hoping for a Conservative victory.
- As if they would move in the same circles.
- He moved in exalted circles - and was ambitious for greater things.
- I thought I could move in the world of all possible lights, and breathe, breathe, breathe.
- In the 1980s there has been a general move in museum education circles towards active learning experiences on site.
- It was a pleasing thought, that I might soon be moving in more exalted circles.
- Tanya insists on moving in many circles and, above all, on thinking for herself.
- We move in the same circles.
- You can't use words like that in polite company.
- Her passion for natural history became increasingly fashionable in polite society during the 17605.
- In the good old days of rampant dualism, the mind was rarely mentioned in polite society.
- It was not the sort of thing you did in polite company.
- It was obvious from the scenes that such behavior did not belong in polite society.
- Trevor Proby is another, of course, but his notables should not be discussed in polite company.
- With sad paradox, Mr Punch himself became the man in the Bateman cartoon, unwelcome in polite company.
- Britain, ever the Atlanticist, tried to square the circle, and usually failed.
- On his last point, Labour has manifestly failed to square the circle.
- The only way of squaring the circle to Moscow's satisfaction would be to send in troops.
WORD FAMILYnouncirclesemicirclecirculationadjectivecircularsemicircularcirculatoryverbcirclecirculate
1[transitive] to draw a circle around something: Circle the correct answer.2[intransitive, transitive] to move in the shape of a circle around something, especially in the air: The plane circled the airport before landing.circle round/above/over etc The pigeons circled above the terrace.