full circle, come/go

come full circle

To return to the original or a similar position, situation, or circumstance where one or something started. After the banking sector brought on the economic collapse through lack of federal oversight, things seem to be coming full circle as politicians are beginning to call for deregulation of the industry once again. I used to work in in kitchens during college to support myself, and now, after working for years as an attorney, I've come full circle and am the head chef of my own restaurant.See also: circle, come, full

full circle

Back to an original state or position. Often used in the phrase "come/go full circle." I started out as an excellent student, and now that my grades are starting to improve again, I feel like I've come full circle. The college's admission has been down in recent years, but we are determined to go full circle and restore the school to its former glory.See also: circle, full

go full circle

To return to the original or very similar position, situation, or attitude at which things began, especially after a long or circuitous series of changes. After dreaming of a career in politics as a young child, and then spending her college years as a staunch political dissident, Carrie has gone full circle and now serves as her state's representative in Congress. The novel goes full circle by the end, with the errant prince reclaiming his rightful place on the throne.See also: circle, full, go

come full circle

Fig. to return to the original position or state of affairs. The family sold the house generations ago, but things have come full circle and one of their descendants lives there now.See also: circle, come, full

come full circle

or

turn full circle

COMMON If something has come full circle or has turned full circle, it is now exactly the same as it used to be, although there has been a long period of changes. Looking at the current product, I am tempted to say the design has come full circle. Her life had now turned full circle and she was back where she started, alone and miserable. Note: People also say the wheel has come full circle or the wheel has turned full circle. The wheel has turned full circle and we are back where we began. Note: This may refer to the medieval idea of the wheel of fortune which is constantly turning, so that people who have good luck at one time in their lives will have bad luck at another time. See also: circle, come, full

come (or turn) full circle

return to a past position or situation, often in a way considered to be inevitable.See also: circle, come, full

come/go full ˈcircle

after a long period of changes, return to the position or situation in which something/you started: The wheel of fashion has come full circle. I was wearing shoes like that thirty years ago.See also: circle, come, full, go

full circle, come/go

The cycle is completed. This expression, probably originated by Shakespeare in King Lear (“The wheel is come full circle,” 5.3), has been used ever since to describe a situation in which events run their course and things end much as they began.See also: come, full, go