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circumference

noun

sər-ˈkəm(p)-fərn(t)s How to pronounce circumference (audio)
Definition of circumferencenext
1
as in diameter
the distance around a round body the circumference of the earth at the equator

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in perimeter
the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something a silly little affair that's of interest to no one beyond the circumference of this campus

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 circumference The ratio of a person’s waist to hip circumference, or their waist circumference to height are pretty good estimators of their abdominal fat deposits. — Literary Hub, 17 Aug. 2026 The Sierra Club, an environmental nonprofit, is planning to appeal the permits the city issued to remove five trees from the site, including a black olive with a trunk that’s nearly six feet in circumference. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026 Researchers looked at waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 Malnutrition rates were determined by weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) and mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC). — Beth Bailey, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for circumference
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumference
  1. diameter
  2. perimeter
  3. radius
  4. edge
  5. equator
  6. boundary
  7. rim
  8. border
Noun
  • Gusts up to 60 mph and hail an inch in diameter threaten the region, NWS meteorologists said.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2026
  • These structural feats culminate at the building’s center, where arched steel beams span 185 feet over a public plaza — opening to Expo Park and the neighborhood — to frame a 90-foot-diameter oculus, floating four stories up.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of diameter
Noun
  • Cal Fire officials at a Friday morning briefing said crews were making progress with hose lines along the fire’s perimeter ahead of the anticipated full opening of westbound I-80.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Officers were on the scene near the hospital and have established a perimeter in the area, according to the Miami Beach Police Department's Facebook page.
    — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of perimeter
Noun
  • The new app notifies the victim if their stalker is within a 2km radius, flagging their precise location on a real-time map.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Far enough from the blast radius of champagne spritzes and exploding beers, the reliever, signed in late August, watched his new teammates let loose.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of radius
Noun
  • The Eagles were not as dominant in 2025, partly due to the regression of the depth in their secondary and the injuries sustained at edge rusher.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The facilities would include what’s known as an edge computing data center, which typically is much smaller than traditional data centers and which Global Stack says would require lower utility use and no municipal water connection.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of edge
Noun
  • The autumnal equinox is the precise moment when the sun crosses directly above the Earth's equator, marking the start of the fall season.
    — Greta Cross, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In our solar system, all the planets orbit around the sun in the ecliptic plane, which is a narrow plane aligned with the sun's equator and direction of rotation.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of equator
Noun
  • The film centers on Leo and Anne, whose relationship becomes caught in a cycle of attraction and separation as the boundaries between intimacy and dependence, care and control and presence and absence steadily begin to collapse.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But the methods used in the show’s sting operations, as depicted here, uncomfortably skirt the dubious boundaries of entrapment.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of boundary
Noun
  • Adidas is even reduced its use of carbon fiber to the rim of midsole on the Pro Evo 3, which was worn for the first (and second) sub-two-hour marathons in London this spring.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Harris can attack all the way to the rim through traffic, has an array of low- and mid-post finishes and can make good playmaking reads off the bounce.
    — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of rim
Noun
  • Asian food Lucknow is considered by many Indians as one of the country’s greatest culinary capitals, but beyond the South Asian nation’s borders, the city has remained largely absent from global conversations about food.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
  • On a community level, that could mean creating more open spaces between the waterfront and development, replacing the asphalt that borders places like Virginia Key with mangroves and walking paths.
    — Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of border

Browse Nearby Words

circumambulating
circumference
circumferences
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Circumference.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumference. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on circumference

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about circumference

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