circle

1 of 2

noun

cir·​cle ˈsər-kəl How to pronounce circle (audio)
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.

Illustration of circle

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

2 of 2

verb

circled; circling ˈsər-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce circle (audio)

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 throngLord 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 beamR. O. Bowen
circler noun

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 Web
Noun
After this initial attack, the killer whale circles the great white shark to ensure the animal won't try to bite her or other pod members. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Regardless, magnesium seems poised to stick around in wellness circles — even in L.A., where new health trends arrive with the steady rhythm of ocean waves. Adam Markovitz, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Gill’s father-in-law is Dinesh D’Souza also well-known in Conservative circles. Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 In the 1970s, the Opry moved from the Ryman Auditorium to the Grand Ole Opry House, taking a 6-foot circle of the Ryman stage with it. Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 Schiff and his backers have spent millions on ads touting Garvey’s conservative views, a strategy seen as an effort to boost Garvey in GOP circles. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 The idea of wrapping the 2024 campaign around this kind of high concept is divisive in Democratic circles. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Moderator Whoopi Goldberg — who, alongside Moreno, is also an EGOT-winning performer — echoed Moreno's sentiment about Hollywood, voicing agreement with the performer's assessment of star temperaments in industry circles. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024 The Kings and Ducks traded power-play goals in the first period Saturday, with Ducks winger Jakob Silfverberg scoring on a shot from the left circle at 9:33 and the Kings matching that at 15:23 on a shot by Fiala, who used Anze Kopitar as a screen. Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
Our plane circled Gaza City to watch the parachutes’ trajectory. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024 Bushnell’s death circled the world with seismic ripples. Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2024 Wooden, Norman, and the prospect instead circled a pair of orange crates pushed together for a table in the alley outside the back door and Johnson draped a tablecloth over the wood slats of the boxes. Scott Howard-Cooper., Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Khamenei has circled the wagons at a time when ordinary Iranians are suffering a grim economic toll. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 The animals slowly circled the boat a few times, which allowed the photographs to be taken while Krannichfeld and Romano remained within a legal distance of the whales. Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 Additionally, left turn lane restrictions mean motorists can't easily maneuver in and out of parking lots without circling neighborhood blocks, Goodwine said. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Feb. 2024 That time, the van, which was again driven by Dumas, circled the 12.5-mile course in 8:47:68 minutes, obliterating the previous record by more than a half minute. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2024 At times on Monday evening, Alfredo’s No. 62 Death Wish Coffee car circled inside of the top 10. Joseph Wolkin, Forbes, 23 Feb. 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.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of circle was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near circle

Cite this Entry

“Circle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circle. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

circle

1 of 2 noun
cir·​cle ˈsər-kəl How to pronounce circle (audio)
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 How to pronounce circle (audio)
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
circler noun
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 How to pronounce circle (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on circle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!