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
often attributive
1
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
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.
circled; circling
ˈsər-k(ə-)liŋ 
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
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. BowenSynonyms
Examples of circle in a Sentence
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.
Recent Examples on the WebEbony Flake, Essence, 26 Apr. 2024
On the ice Thursday, the comeback began with Reinhart tying the game 9:58 into the second period, blasting a shot from the right circle on a feed from Vladimir Tarasenko.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024
Alli Dafoe picked up the win inside the circle for the Pirates scattering five hits over five innings.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2024
After scuffles with police early Wednesday, a few dozen demonstrators standing in a circle with locked arms were detained one by one without incident later in the evening.
—CBS News, 25 Apr. 2024
The pitcher celebrated her 17th birthday on Thursday by dominating in the pitcher’s circle en-route to a 7-1 win over Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division rival Burlingame.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
In the sweet video, True ran around in a circle while Dream and Tatum held hands doing the same as a Christmas song by Mariah Carey played in the background.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The spaghetti-strap dress has a yellow and green floral pattern and a visible tulle petticoat under the circle skirt to give it an extra heaping of midcentury chic oomph.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 24 Apr. 2024
Available in a limited edition of 88 pieces, the striking piece — which features contrasting concentric circles in pink gold and grey that indicate the seconds, minutes and hours — fuses watchmaking tradition with cutting-edge engineering, a brand signature.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024
Manhattan’s Criminal Courts Building, at 100 Centre Street, is short on charm: circled in scaffolding, lit like an aging cafeteria and, in recent months, neighbor to a colossal pile of rubble, the remains of the Manhattan Detention Complex, which is being demolished.
—Jonathan Swan, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
The documentary feature, which is being circled by several streamers, received a grant from non-profit org Story board Collective to finance the impact campaign around the film.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
One of the tree stands circled in red on the map was believed to conceal hundreds of enemy troops, and the forthcoming assault would help interrupt their supply routes.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Those in the role of the sun grabbed flashlights, aimed them at those playing Earth, and the students pretending to be the moon circled around the Earth kids, creating shadows.
—The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
Players ran into the student section and circled the front row for high-fives.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Presenting Iger at Disney’s ground zero was a form of circling the wagons and putting the boss on a pedestal.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
In his mid-twenties, Nuri revisits these spaces, circling them like points of pilgrimage.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Group Interview: In a group interview, candidates may be seated with other applicants in a circle or around a table.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 26 Apr. 2024
On the ice Thursday, the comeback began with Reinhart tying the game 9:58 into the second period, blasting a shot from the right circle on a feed from Vladimir Tarasenko.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024
Alli Dafoe picked up the win inside the circle for the Pirates scattering five hits over five innings.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2024
After scuffles with police early Wednesday, a few dozen demonstrators standing in a circle with locked arms were detained one by one without incident later in the evening.
—CBS News, 25 Apr. 2024
The pitcher celebrated her 17th birthday on Thursday by dominating in the pitcher’s circle en-route to a 7-1 win over Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division rival Burlingame.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024
In the sweet video, True ran around in a circle while Dream and Tatum held hands doing the same as a Christmas song by Mariah Carey played in the background.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The spaghetti-strap dress has a yellow and green floral pattern and a visible tulle petticoat under the circle skirt to give it an extra heaping of midcentury chic oomph.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 24 Apr. 2024
Available in a limited edition of 88 pieces, the striking piece — which features contrasting concentric circles in pink gold and grey that indicate the seconds, minutes and hours — fuses watchmaking tradition with cutting-edge engineering, a brand signature.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024
Verb
Much of her debut album circled the boundaries of sobriety, particularly from alcohol.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Apr. 2024
Manhattan’s Criminal Courts Building, at 100 Centre Street, is short on charm: circled in scaffolding, lit like an aging cafeteria and, in recent months, neighbor to a colossal pile of rubble, the remains of the Manhattan Detention Complex, which is being demolished.
—Jonathan Swan, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
The documentary feature, which is being circled by several streamers, received a grant from non-profit org Story board Collective to finance the impact campaign around the film.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
One of the tree stands circled in red on the map was believed to conceal hundreds of enemy troops, and the forthcoming assault would help interrupt their supply routes.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Those in the role of the sun grabbed flashlights, aimed them at those playing Earth, and the students pretending to be the moon circled around the Earth kids, creating shadows.
—The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
Players ran into the student section and circled the front row for high-fives.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Presenting Iger at Disney’s ground zero was a form of circling the wagons and putting the boss on a pedestal.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
In his mid-twenties, Nuri revisits these spaces, circling them like points of pilgrimage.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'circle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near circle
Cite this Entry
“Circle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circle. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
circle
1 of 2 noun
cir·cle
ˈsər-kəl
1
b
: a line segment that is curved so that its ends meet and every point on the line is equally far away from a single point inside
c
: the flat surface enclosed by a circle
2
: something in the form of a circle
a traffic circle
3
: cycle entry 1 sense 2a, round
the wheel had come full circle
4
: a group of people sharing a common interest
our circle of friends
circle
2 of 2 verb
circled; circling
-k(ə-)liŋ
1
: to enclose in or as if in a circle
circle the correct answer
the trees circling our little house
2
: to move or revolve around
the pilot circled the field
satellites circling the earth
3
: to move in or as if in a circle
the quarterback circled to the left
Etymology
Noun
Middle English cercle "circle," from early French cercle (same meaning), derived from Latin circus "circle, ring, arena"
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
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