circles 1 of 2

plural of circle
1
as in rings
something with a perfectly round circumference a circle of columns surrounds the memorial to the fallen heroes

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2
as in loops
a circular strip a decorative circle of silver on the rim of the commemorative plate for their 25th wedding anniversary

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4
as in cycles
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 & Similar Words

5

circles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of circle

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 circles
Noun
Ping Ping, the male, has dark black circles around his eyes, while Fu Shuang, the female, has a forehead that protrudes a bit, according to the Xinhua News Agency. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026 Gently scrub the area in small circles to help lift any oily or pigmented residue. — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026 In some far-right, conspiracy-rich circles, Bianco’s cowboy-saving-the-day routine was viewed as heroic. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 Kevin, from the reports of many, was not so subtle in his efforts to ramp up his public relations campaign for his candidacy — and in some circles he was anointed as the favorite to be Bob’s successor. — Bob Chapek, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026 Locally, the impact will be felt mostly within its circles where sentiment swings on the outcome of the next football game. — Mac Engel september 24, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026 The idea has been controversial in education circles and at Yale, where the university’s endowment is estimated at $44 billion. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 23 Sep. 2026 Cocokind’s Revitalizing Eye Cream is like a refreshing glass of cool water for exhausted eyes, designed to reduce the appearance of bags and shadowy circles by locking in hydration, soothing skin, and helping depuff. — Mariana Best, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2026 The lightweight cream disguises dark circles, redness, blemishes, and uneven tone, melting in seamlessly enough to blend across larger areas in place of foundation. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
Travelling roughly 300 miles (483 kilometers) above Earth's surface at about 17,000 mph (27,000 kph), Hubble circles the planet roughly 15 times per day, which is about one lap every 95 minutes. — Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 25 Sep. 2026 After an attempt to solve the climate crisis created a worldwide perma-blizzard, what’s left of humanity now circles the globe in a speeding train that’s strictly segregated by economic status. — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026 The job search can be a draining process, especially when applications go unanswered, AI hysteria circles the internet, and interviews end with little to no feedback. — Alyshia Hull, USA Today, 28 July 2026 Whenever the calendar comes out, Amanda Mendoza VanCleave circles the dates. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 All of which circles us back around to the reality that our brain sees writing as quietly dangerous. — April Dávila, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026 But the finale sets up a world-changing cliffhanger that circles the plot back to Louis and Armand vying for Lestat’s music box and blood in the premiere. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Tour du Mont Blanc circles the highest mountain in the Alps, spanning France, Switzerland and Italy. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026 The gas giant circles its star at an unexpectedly close distance—about 50 times nearer than the Earth’s orbit around the sun. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 1 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circles
Noun
  • This includes health-monitoring devices such as Apple Watches and Oura rings, whose technologies have improved drastically over the years.
    — Sparkle Rainey Tribune News Service, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Adding contrast are the black counter rings and the black rubber Oysterflex strap.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Rather than forcing you to adapt to a permanently stitched grid of elastic loops, the M3 utilizes heavy-duty, modular pages.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
  • On a denim jacket, belt loops are elongated and individually placed, turning the hardwearing item into something more decorative.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The constitutional question has been litigated many times, and by our count, every state or federal appellate court that’s ruled on the issue has concluded that ALPR networks are within bounds of the Fourth Amendment.
    — Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
  • As defense shifts from traditional armor toward connected missile-defense grids and real-time targeting, its components become increasingly central to the weapons and sensing systems that make those networks work.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Repeatable return could help Exobiosphere shorten experimental cycles and advance promising findings toward practical applications.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • For the past three decades, defense procurement was a stagnant oligopoly dominated by a handful of massive legacy prime contractors and painfully slow cost-plus research-and-development cycles.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • By Monday morning, waves began to crash and flood coastal areas.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Separated into two areas, the first is the mellow bar (for pre and post-spa cocktails, mocktails, and detox juices) and four quirky pink manicure pods that look like disjointed train carriages.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Water also nearly surrounds, but does not enter, the former Easton grade school.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Much of the discourse surrounds Kazan’s creative choice in how to portray the book’s infamous antagonist, Cathy Ames, in Netflix’s seven-episode limited series out Thursday.
    — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Cancri e is a super-Earth that orbits its host star every 18 hours, and could be covered by a magma ocean.
    — Alix Freckelton, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The new definition of a planet, according to Nat Geo, is an object that orbits the Sun, is large enough to have become round (due to the force of its own gravity) and dominates the neighborhood around its orbit.
    — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The future of Serra’s art lay with the plates and, eventually, slabs and forged blocks and rounds of steel that activate the relation of the body to actual space, including outdoor sites both urban and on the land.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue through Thursday night, with heavy rainfall in waves that could lead to flooding along area rivers, creeks and streams, the National Weather Service said.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Circles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circles. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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