circle

1 something with a perfectly round circumference a circle of columns surrounds the memorial to the fallen heroes Synonyms cirque, ring, round, roundel Related Words circlet, ringlet; ellipse, loop, oval; ball, globe, orb, sphere

2 a circular strip a decorative circle of silver on the rim of the commemorative plate for their 25th wedding anniversary Synonyms band, ring, eye, hoop, loop, roundRelated Words belt, cincture, collar, girdle; wreath; annulet, becket, coil, curl, furl, hank, spiral, spire, twirl, whorl

3 a group of people sharing a common interest and relating together socially got together with her social circle once a week Synonyms body, bunch, gang, clan, clique, community, coterie, coven, crowd, fold, galère, klatch (also klatsch), lot, network, pack, ring, setRelated Words charmed circle, elite, in-group; closed shop; club, college, fellowship, guild (also gild), league, organization, society; camp, faction, sect, side, tribe; mess, squad; brotherhood, fraternity, order, sisterhood, sodality, sorority; commune; alliance, bloc, coalition, confederation, congress, council, federation, unionNear Antonyms loner; individualist

4 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 cycle, merry-go-round, round, wheel, zodiacRelated Words pattern, syndrome; course, development, progression, run; beat, circuit, loop, ring; rotation, revolution, turn, turnover; chain, sequence, series, string, succession, train

5 a region of activity, knowledge, or influence that lies outside the circle of our investigation Synonyms area, arena, bailiwick, barony, business, field, demesne, department, discipline, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, firmament, front, game, kingdom, line, precinct, province, realm, specialty, sphere, terrain, walkRelated Words frontier; study, subject; territory, turf; occupation, profession, pursuit, racket, vocation; ambit, amplitude, breadth, compass, confine, dimension(s), extent, ken, reach, scope, sweep, width; subfield, subspecialty

1 to form a circle around everyone circled the lectern and waited their turn to read from the Bible Synonyms surround, compass, embrace, encircle, enclose (also inclose), encompass, environ, gird, girdle, ring, wreatheRelated Words circumscribe, close in, cordon (off), fence (in), hem (in), wall; beset, besiege, entrench (also intrench), invest, swarm

2 to travel completely around with a look of extreme frustration, the commander circled the new recruit Synonyms encircle, circuit, circumnavigate, circumvent, compass, girdle, orbit, ring, roundRelated Words circumambulate, cross, perambulate, traverse