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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
  • Mimas is super tiny with a diameter of about 245 miles (394 kilometers).
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • To convert the solid preforms into fiber, workers load them into multi-story draw towers where they are heated and pulled down to 125 microns in diameter — roughly the width of a human hair.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of diameter
Noun
  • Other complained in 2023 that an ice cream stand set up outside the camp’s perimeter sent the wrong message.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • An offseason filled with roster shuffling continued Tuesday for the Charlotte Hornets, who completed a three-player deal with Atlanta to land another guard with perimeter shooting potential.
    — Staff reports, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of perimeter
Noun
  • Each new lightning flash in the 8-mile radius resets the timer.
    — Chris Vagasky, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The hope down on Melrose is such a deal would render moot the March 2, 2027, trial start date currently on the calendar in federal court – and all the financial and political blast radius that comes with it for the Trump-friendly Ellisons.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of radius
Noun
  • Diaby intercepted a pass in the attacking third, raced to the edge of the penalty box and blasted a rising shot into the net to cap the scoring in the 63rd minute.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • In places at low to moderate risk of fire, along the edges of flat valleys and lazy hills, growth in the FAIR Plan is ballooning, and it is being used to underwrite new suburban development.
    — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 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
  • Establishing those baseline boundaries was an essential regulatory step, giving federal authorities the legal groundwork to approve construction and authorize system testing.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The 9th District is largely in the northern San Joaquin Valley, though its new boundaries extend into the East Bay.
    — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of boundary
Noun
  • The rims have been out of production for years and are much sought after by Z car aficionados.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Sep. 2026
  • These features are interpreted as evidence of faulting along the caldera rim as the floor subsided.
    — Yook Ji Hun, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of rim
Noun
  • The new activity was separate from a border infrastructure project in the nearby Big Bend National Park, where the administration has suspended construction in an attempt to reach out to opponents.
    — Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
  • On a map on the agency’s website where the agency posts updates of wall construction across the entire southern border, a photo showed a crane lifting one of the 30-foot-tall steel wall panels into place while construction workers looked on.
    — Rebecca Santana, Fortune, 19 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 27 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on circumference

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about circumference

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