1
as in surrounded
to form a circle around
everyone circled the lectern and waited their turn to read from the Bible
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in orbited
to travel completely around
with a look of extreme frustration, the commander circled the new recruit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of circled
Nowhere is the ham-handed effort more evident than in Texas, where a blend of culture war grievance and incel-targeting rage have circled the sharp-witted but mild-mannered Talarico, whose campaign is shaping up to be a fundraising juggernaut.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 2 June 2026
McKenna circled the offensive zone, waiting and watching.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 2 June 2026
People climbed over a concrete wall as officers warned them back, a helicopter circled overhead and police cars lined the waterfront.
—Desmon Yancy, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
An Israeli drone circled overhead, its buzzing ceaseless throughout the day.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
That car, a famously rugged 60-horsepower Thomas Flyer that had circled the globe the year before, wound up needing two months to slog from Manhattan to Puget Sound—12 times as long as the trip took by rail.
—Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
On one February afternoon, ICE agents circled the same Staten Island block multiple times in search of a 25-year-old Mexican man named Julio.
—Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 May 2026
Buyers have circled as the company’s profile has risen in recent years.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 May 2026
Now imagine deploying extra cash on every dip (circled above).
—Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Philip Elliott, Time, 2 June 2026
McKenna circled the offensive zone, waiting and watching.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 2 June 2026
People climbed over a concrete wall as officers warned them back, a helicopter circled overhead and police cars lined the waterfront.
—Desmon Yancy, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
An Israeli drone circled overhead, its buzzing ceaseless throughout the day.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
That car, a famously rugged 60-horsepower Thomas Flyer that had circled the globe the year before, wound up needing two months to slog from Manhattan to Puget Sound—12 times as long as the trip took by rail.
—Eric Moskowitz, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
On one February afternoon, ICE agents circled the same Staten Island block multiple times in search of a 25-year-old Mexican man named Julio.
—Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 May 2026
Buyers have circled as the company’s profile has risen in recent years.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 May 2026
Now imagine deploying extra cash on every dip (circled above).
—Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circled
Verb
-
Sitting in the dark press junket room surrounded by cameras and television screens, the brothers Wayans bounce jokes off each other and finish each other’s sentences like identical twins.—
Datwon Thomas,
VIBE.com,
6 June 2026
-
The current patio is surrounded by plants and trees too.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Not by measure alone, but presence — a dynamic force that others orbited.—
Dan Robson,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Tito orbited Earth 128 times and even did some science experiments.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Just under 300,000 years from the moment Homo sapiens appeared in Africa, the species had encircled Earth, mastering desolate deserts and frozen wastelands and all the temperate climes in between.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
-
Her daughter, Soraya, had taken refuge there with her three children, Christina, Charbel, and Elias, after fleeing Debl, a Christian border village now encircled by Israeli troops.—
Euan Ward,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Despite his complicated feelings about the reservoir itself, his favorite cottonwood in the hundreds of miles of canyons he’s traversed is on the main body of water, near a kink in the canyon known as the Rincón.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
-
Named after a Norwegian ship that traversed the North and South poles at the turn of the 20th Century, Fram2 sought to pay homage to its namesake with a pioneering polar voyage of its own.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
And even in Moscow, which open-source intelligence analysts say has been ringed by more than 100 air defense systems amid Ukraine's expanding strike campaign, the threat from Kyiv appears to be more present than ever before.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
-
Visitors enter through 2nd-century Hadrian’s Arch and find the Temple of Zeus, the Hippodrome, the Temple of Artemis and a forum ringed by 56 Corinthian columns.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Trump was also asked about Spurs star Victor Wembanyama having stood with his arms crossed for the national anthem before Game 1.—
Michelle L. Price,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
-
Late last month, its forces crossed the Litani river, pushing further into southern Lebanon in what Israeli officials say is an effort to ensure the security of northern Israel.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Sunday when her attacker rounded the corner of her Brownsville apartment building located near Glenmore and Christopher Aves.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2026
-
Kenady aggressively rounded third and barely beat the throw home with a dramatic headfirst slide.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circled. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
