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
  • The diameter of the gravel should never exceed one-third the depth of the patch.
    — Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Enceladus is Saturn's sixth largest moon with a diameter equal to roughly the width of Arizona, and it's thought to have a massive subsurface ocean that spouts plumes of water out into space.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of diameter
Noun
  • Its sealed perimeter, only accessible via lines and screening, now makes one of the world’s wonders feel less like a wondrous part of the city than an attraction held behind glass.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Smith was able to stay relatively healthy last season, earning consistent playing time because of his pesky perimeter defense and steady offensive game in a backup point guard role.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of perimeter
Noun
  • Removing standing access reduces blast radius and buys time, while quick access withdrawal across hybrid environments blocks attacker pathways.
    — Robert Bobel, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Tuffy’s Corner, named for a local undertaker, is a frequent accident site, and Harley Corner is a reducing-radius turn that sometimes catches motorcyclists off guard.
    — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of radius
Noun
  • Iris Law’s piecey pixie is parted to the side, with soft texture and a jagged, wispy bang for some edge.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Researchers recreated this underlying dynamics in a controllable quantum system and found that string breaking can begin at the edges before spreading inward.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of edge
Noun
  • Earth experiences two equinoxes each year — the first in March and the second in September — when the sun crosses the celestial equator, an imaginary line in the sky directly above Earth's equator.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • This is the moment when the sun crosses directly above Earth's equator, moving south into the celestial sphere.
    — Lissette Gonzalez, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of equator
Noun
  • Sometimes confidence comes from realizing the old boundaries no longer match the size of your curiosity.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • These boundaries separate regions carrying different polarization states.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of boundary
Noun
  • The Liberty’s size and ability to protect the rim bothered the stellar first-year player.
    — Doug Feinberg, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Beth Lay is first, a gangly Plain Jane with drab hair, a gummy smile, and wire-rim glasses.
    — Joan Kron, Allure, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of rim
Noun
  • The Pakistani Information Ministry rejected a claim by Afghanistan's Defense Ministry that Afghanistan had destroyed a Pakistani post near the southern Afghan border town of Spin Boldak, opposite the Pakistani city of Chaman.
    — MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • She was denied asylum under a Biden-era border policy that restricted eligibility for many migrants who crossed the southern border outside official pathways.
    — Mick Krever, CNN Money, 26 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 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on circumference

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about circumference

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All