Illustration of circle
- AB diameter; C center; CD
- CA
- CB radii; EKF arc on chord EF; EFKL (area) segment on chord EF; ACD (area) sector; GH secant; TPM tangent at point P; EKFBPDA circumference
circle
1 of 2noun
cir·cle ˈsər-kəl 
often attributive
1
a
: ring, halo
b
: a closed plane (see plane entry 6 sense 2b) curve every point of which is equidistant (see equidistant sense 1) from a fixed point within the curve
c
: the plane surface bounded by such a curve
2
archaic : the orbit of a celestial body
3
: something in the form of a circle or section of a circle: such as
a
: diadem
b
: an instrument of astronomical observation the graduated (see graduated sense 2a) limb of which consists of an entire circle
c
: a balcony or tier of seats in a theater
d
: a circle formed on the surface of a sphere by the intersection of a plane that passes through it
circle of latitude
e
: rotary sense 2
Traffic slowed down around the circle.
4
: an area of action or influence : realm
within the circle of probability
5
a
: cycle, round
the wheel has come full circle
b
: fallacious reasoning in which something to be demonstrated is covertly assumed
6
: a group of persons sharing a common interest or revolving about a common center
the sewing circle of her church
family circle
the gossip of court circles
political, social, and literary circles
7
: a territorial or administrative division or district
The province is divided into nine circles.
8
: a curving side street
lived on Kimberly Circle
9
: a circular course or path
The children ran in circles around the tree.
The conversation kept going in circles, and nothing got accomplished.
circle
2 of 2verb
circled; circling ˈsər-k(ə-)liŋ
transitive verb
1
: to enclose in or as if in a circle
The teacher circled the misspelled words.
2
: to move or revolve around
satellites circling the earth
intransitive verb
1
a
: to move in or as if in a circle
The airplane circled around over the airport.
b
: circulate
thy name shall circle round the gaping throng
Lord Byron
Lord Byron c
: to circle around before making an attack
sharks circling in the water
2
: to describe or extend in a circle
the lighthouse sent out its slow steady circling beam R. O. Bowen
R. O. Bowen circler
ˈsər-k(ə-)lər
noun 
Synonyms
Noun
- cirque
- ring
- round
- roundel
Verb
- compass
- embrace
- encircle
- enclose
- inclose
- encompass
- environ
- gird
- girdle
- ring
- surround
- wreathe
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun She drew a circle around the correct answer. We formed a circle around the campfire. He looked old and tired, with dark circles under his eyes. She has a large circle of friends. She is well-known in banking circles. Verb He circled his arms around his wife's waist. His arms circled around his wife's waist. She circled the correct answer. The pilot circled the airport before landing. The halfback circled to the left. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2022 Susan Quinn, the chief executive of circle S studio, where Ms. Millard worked, said her company seeks to be flexible with workers. Ray A. Smith, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 Dua Lipa managed to find the perfect accessorizes for her outfit, a circle necklace covered in glittering details, and a pair of tall pointed heels with ankle ribbons in the same sea foam green. Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 4 Sep. 2022 Coming full-circle in her career, Ferguson was ecstatic when she was given the opportunity to work with McQuarrie – who directed her favorite movie, The Usual Suspects. Jodi Guglielmi, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2022 Several of her friends were outside watching the plane circle overhead. Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2022 Larry O’Brien Trophy were in the winner’s circle to greet Slow Down Andy and Gutierrez after their wire-to-wire victory in the Del Mar Derby — for 3-year-olds at a 11/8 miles on the turf. San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2022 Time is a flat circle, as evidenced by Friedrich Nietzsche's doctrine of eternal recurrence, as well as the recent resurgence on social media of two-ingredient spinach pasta. Ella Quittner, Bon Appétit, 17 Aug. 2022 The moon's distance from Earth changes throughout the month since its orbit isn't a perfect circle, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 11 Aug. 2022 Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 2 Sep. 2022 The Targaryens sit atop the Iron Throne (which looks even cooler), dragons circle the city without citizens cowering in terror, and the 7 Kingdoms once again find themselves on the edge of a succession war. Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 21 Aug. 2022 All these questions circle back to former president Trump and his political stature out of office. Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2022 Vultures circle a cow carcass on a farm on the road to the Apyterewa territory. Washington Post, 27 July 2022 Though no one lives close to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, many thousands of people circle the globe in jet aircraft. Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 16 July 2022 Accessible only by boat on its own island, birds circle its steepled tops before resting in the crumbling church and graveyard built on one side. Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 25 June 2022 Applicants must circle their gender on their resume — with only the options of male and female — as well as attach a photo of themselves, both of which could leave some LGBTQ job seekers vulnerable to hiring discrimination. Angela Yang, NBC News, 1 June 2022 Race cars circle the city, careening onto the straightaway on Boulevard Albert 1er, which Dugué’s apartment overlooks. Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2022 See More
Noun
Michele is replacing Beanie Feldstein, who bowed out of the show earlier than expected, causing Gay Twitter and Broadway Twitter — which, as a Venn diagram, is basically a circle — to pack a hearty lunch and go on a speculation field day. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 7 Sep. 2022 Susan Quinn, the chief executive of circle S studio, where Ms. Millard worked, said her company seeks to be flexible with workers. Ray A. Smith, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 Dua Lipa managed to find the perfect accessorizes for her outfit, a circle necklace covered in glittering details, and a pair of tall pointed heels with ankle ribbons in the same sea foam green. Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 4 Sep. 2022 Coming full-circle in her career, Ferguson was ecstatic when she was given the opportunity to work with McQuarrie – who directed her favorite movie, The Usual Suspects. Jodi Guglielmi, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2022 Several of her friends were outside watching the plane circle overhead. Arkansas Online, 4 Sep. 2022 Larry O’Brien Trophy were in the winner’s circle to greet Slow Down Andy and Gutierrez after their wire-to-wire victory in the Del Mar Derby — for 3-year-olds at a 11/8 miles on the turf. San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2022 Time is a flat circle, as evidenced by Friedrich Nietzsche's doctrine of eternal recurrence, as well as the recent resurgence on social media of two-ingredient spinach pasta. Ella Quittner, Bon Appétit, 17 Aug. 2022 The moon's distance from Earth changes throughout the month since its orbit isn't a perfect circle, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 11 Aug. 2022 Verb
However, as is the case here, the two stars circle each other in their own orbits. Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 2 Sep. 2022 The Targaryens sit atop the Iron Throne (which looks even cooler), dragons circle the city without citizens cowering in terror, and the 7 Kingdoms once again find themselves on the edge of a succession war. Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 21 Aug. 2022 All these questions circle back to former president Trump and his political stature out of office. Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2022 Vultures circle a cow carcass on a farm on the road to the Apyterewa territory. Washington Post, 27 July 2022 Though no one lives close to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, many thousands of people circle the globe in jet aircraft. Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 16 July 2022 Accessible only by boat on its own island, birds circle its steepled tops before resting in the crumbling church and graveyard built on one side. Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 25 June 2022 Applicants must circle their gender on their resume — with only the options of male and female — as well as attach a photo of themselves, both of which could leave some LGBTQ job seekers vulnerable to hiring discrimination. Angela Yang, NBC News, 1 June 2022 Race cars circle the city, careening onto the straightaway on Boulevard Albert 1er, which Dugué’s apartment overlooks. Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English cercle, from Anglo-French, from Latin circulus, diminutive of circus circle, circus, from or akin to Greek krikos, kirkos ring; akin to Old English hring ring — more at ring
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing circle
Kids Definition
circle 1 of 2
noun
cir·cle ˈsər-kəl
1
: a line that is curved so that its ends meet and every point on the line is the same distance from the center
2
: something in the form of a circle or part of a circle
We gathered in a circle around the fireplace.
3
: cycle entry 1 sense 2, round
The wheel has come full circle.
4
: a group of people sharing a common interest
a reading circle
a circle of friends
circle
2 of 2verb
circled; circling
1
: to form or draw a circle around
Circle the correct answers.
2
: to move or revolve around
Satellites circle the earth.
3
: to move in or as if in a circle
Vultures circled overhead.
Medical Definition
circle
noun
cir·cle ˈsər-kəl
1
a
: a closed plane curve every point of which is equidistant from a fixed point within the curve
b
: the plane surface bounded by such a curve
2
: something (as an anatomical part) in the form of a circle or section of a circle
an arterial circle
see circle of willis circles 1 of 2
noun
1
as in rounds
something with a perfectly round circumference a circle of columns surrounds the memorial to the fallen heroes Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- rounds
- rings
- orbs
- ovals
- loops
- roundels
- spheres
- ellipses
- cirques
- balls
- circlets
- ringlets
- globes
2
as in loops
a circular strip a decorative circle of silver on the rim of the commemorative plate for their 25th wedding anniversary Synonyms & Similar Words
- loops
- hoops
- rings
- bands
- rounds
- belts
- wreaths
- eyes
- coils
- spirals
- curls
- collars
- girdles
- whorls
- cinctures
- twirls
- spires
- hanks
- annulets
- beckets
- furls
3
as in networks
a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially got together with her social circle once a week Synonyms & Similar Words
- networks
- communities
- crowds
- cliques
- bunches
- packs
- organizations
- folds
- coteries
- rings
- gangs
- clubs
- clans
- covens
- bodies
- lots
- communes
- sets
- societies
- galères
- guilds
- factions
- sides
- tribes
- elites
- klatches
- fraternities
- colleges
- camps
- brotherhoods
- sects
- leagues
- squads
- klatsches
- gilds
- blocs
- charmed circles
- coalitions
- in-groups
- fellowships
- closed shops
- sororities
- alliances
- federations
- unions
- sisterhoods
- messes
- sodalities
- confederations
- councils
- congresses
- orders
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- loners
- individualists
4
as in cycles
a series of events or actions that repeat themselves regularly and in the same order with the birth of a child coming so soon after the death of a grandparent, we were once again reminded of the circle of life Synonyms & Similar Words
- cycles
- rounds
- patterns
- wheels
- series
- progressions
- runs
- syndromes
- loops
- merry-go-rounds
- chains
- rotations
- zodiacs
- developments
- rings
- sequences
- circuits
- courses
- revolutions
- strings
- beats
- successions
- turns
- trains
- turnovers
5
as in areas
a region of activity, knowledge, or influence that lies outside the circle of our investigation Synonyms & Similar Words
- areas
- spheres
- realms
- domains
- departments
- walks
- fields
- kingdoms
- elements
- terrains
- disciplines
- provinces
- specialties
- arenas
- territories
- fronts
- games
- lines
- studies
- precincts
- businesses
- fiefdoms
- confines
- subjects
- bailiwicks
- fiefs
- firmaments
- baronies
- pursuits
- demesnes
- professions
- frontiers
- dimensions
- scopes
- reaches
- vocations
- occupations
- widths
- compasses
- turfs
- sweeps
- breadths
- extents
- subfields
- rackets
- ambits
- amplitudes
- subspecialties
- turves
- sub-specialties
- kens
circles
2 of 2verb
1
as in surrounds
to form a circle around everyone circled the lectern and waited their turn to read from the Bible Synonyms & Similar Words
- surrounds
- rings
- encircles
- environs
- encompasses
- compasses
- walls
- wreathes
- girdles
- embraces
- encloses
- incloses
- girds
- circumscribes
- swarms
- intrenches
- closes in
- entrenches
- cordons (off)
- besets
- besieges
- hems (in)
- fences (in)
- invests
2
as in orbits
to travel completely around with a look of extreme frustration, the commander circled the new recruit Synonyms & Similar Words
- orbits
- rings
- rounds
- circuits
- traverses
- encircles
- crosses
- compasses
- girdles
- circumnavigates
- circumvents
- circumambulates
- perambulates