cycle

1 of 2

noun

cy·​cle ˈsī-kəl How to pronounce cycle (audio)
1
: an interval of time during which a sequence of a recurring succession of events or phenomena is completed
a 4-year cycle of growth and development
2
a
: a course or series of events or operations that recur regularly and usually lead back to the starting point
… the common cycle of birth, growth, senescence, and death.T. C. Schneirla and Gerard Piel
b
: one complete performance of a vibration, electric oscillation, current alternation, or other periodic process
c
: a permutation of a set of ordered elements in which each element takes the place of the next and the last becomes first
d
: a takeoff and landing of an airplane
3
: a circular or spiral arrangement: such as
a
: an imaginary circle or orbit in the heavens
4
: a long period of time : age
5
a
: a group of creative works (such as poems, plays, or songs) treating the same theme
a cycle of poems about unrequited love
b
: a series of narratives dealing typically with the exploits of a legendary hero
the Arthurian cycle
6
7
: the series of a single, double, triple, and home run hit in any order by one player during one baseball game

cycle

2 of 2

verb

cycled; cycling ˈsī-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce cycle (audio)

intransitive verb

1
a
: to pass through a cycle
The menu cycles through all the options.
Because the traditional HVAC system cycles on and off—and is powered down when you leave—relief is inconsistent at best.Sarah Littleton
b
: to recur in cycles
Freezing temperatures … aren't the problem. It's when temperatures cycle between freezing and thaws, causing pavement to contract and expand … that can create larger issues.Jonathan Oosting
2
: to ride a cycle
specifically : bicycle
She cycles to work.

transitive verb

: to cause to go through a cycle
The fact that it [the pump] runs constantly may be a bad sign. It may be cycling the water, not removing it.Popular Mechanics
Everything is constantly cycled in nature. There is abundant waste in nature, just as there is in industry, but in nature waste constantly flows back into living systems.Paul Hawken and William McDonough
cycler noun

Examples of cycle in a Sentence

Noun We have to wait for the dishwasher's wash and dry cycles to end. the spin cycle on a washing machine He rode his cycle into town. Verb The water is cycled back into the system after it has been used. The water cycles back into the system.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The hope had been to have a virtuous cycle of reuse; but engineers realized that even desalinating water would require a level of clean energy beyond reach, short of blanketing Abu Dhabi in solar panels. Chico Harlan, Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2023 The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday that Virginia State University in Petersburg will host the second debate of the 2024 general election cycle Oct. 1. Isabela Espadas Barros Leal, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2023 The process has completed more than 8,000 operational cycles. Aaron Gettinger, arkansasonline.com, 21 Nov. 2023 Commitments to moral principles not only spark retribution, but also serve as the fuel that perpetuates vicious cycles of vengeance. Joshua Rottman, Scientific American, 20 Nov. 2023 One best practice Choudhury has personally tried: Kicking off every annual planning cycle with opening up the team calendar and jointly agreeing which days are in person—and sticking to what the team agrees on. Jane Thier, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023 Grace is proud to serve as an ambassador for the Good+ Foundation, a nonprofit working to break the cycle of family poverty. Grace Bastidas, Parents, 18 Nov. 2023 The following day, Wilson went on a three-hour cycle before meeting up with fellow professional cyclist Colin Strickland. Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023 That cooled fluid was then pumped out to exchange heat with a separate environment, allowing the cycle to be repeated. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2023
Verb
Over the next few years, the group gigged regularly, often playing Motown covers, and cycled through a few names before eventually settling on Kool and the Gang and setting out to write their own material. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2023 The video then cycles through a series of then-and-now pictures and videos of the band in their salad days and a sure-to-be-talked-about sequence in which archival shots of Lennon and Harrison are spliced in aside present-day McCartney and Starr in a recording session. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Nov. 2023 As Sabbath, Turturro is onstage virtually the entire play, speaking for much of that time and cycling through emotions like excitement and pity, desire and tenderness, depression and optimism. Marc Tracy, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023 Investigators said the women advertised on the websites were updated frequently, and sometimes cycled between the Virginia and Boston area locations. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023 And few will be scrutinized more than whoever is handling the ball, considering the numerous guards the team has cycled through in recent seasons. Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2023 But my most recent colonoscopy (taken right before my symptoms started escalating) showed nothing had changed, so my doctor brushed me off and kept cycling me through the same couple of medications. Condé Nast, SELF, 25 Sep. 2023 Certainly, imperfect against Texas but still looks like the best option after cycling the next two contenders through the real-world test. Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 16 Sep. 2023 Swipe to the left to cycle through all the different options. WIRED, 27 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cycle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cicle, from Late Latin cyclus, from Greek kyklos circle, wheel, cycle — more at wheel

Verb

derivative of cycle entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1842, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of cycle was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near cycle

Cite this Entry

“Cycle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cycle. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

cycle

1 of 2 noun
cy·​cle ˈsī-kəl How to pronounce cycle (audio)
1
: a period of time taken up by a series of events or actions that repeat themselves regularly and in the same order
the cycle of the seasons
2
a
: a series of events or operations that happen again and again regularly and usually lead back to the starting point
the cycle of blood from the heart, through the blood vessels, and back again
the drying cycle of a dishwasher
b
: one complete occurrence of a cycle
a cycle of alternating current
the cycle of a vibration
3
: a long period of time : age
cyclic
ˈsī-klik
 also  ˈsik-lik
adjective
or cyclical
ˈsī-kli-kəl,
ˈsik-li-
cyclically
-k(ə-)lē
adverb

cycle

2 of 2 verb
cy·​cle
ˈsī-kəl,
ˈsik-əl
cycled; cycling
ˈsī-k(ə-)liŋ,
ˈsik(-ə)-liŋ
: to ride a bicycle or motorcycle

Medical Definition

cycle

1 of 2 noun
cy·​cle ˈsī-kəl How to pronounce cycle (audio)
1
: a recurring series of events: as
a(1)
: a series of stages through which an organism tends to pass once in a fixed order
the common cycle of birth, growth, senescence and deathT. C. Schneirla & Gerard Piel
also : a series of stages through which a population of organisms tends to pass more or less in synchrony
the mosquito-hatching cycle
see life cycle
(2)
: a series of physiological, biochemical, or psychological stages that recur in the same individual see cardiac cycle, menstrual cycle krebs cycle
b
: one complete performance of a vibration, electric oscillation, current alternation, or other periodic process
c
: a series of ecological stages through which a substance tends to pass and which usually but not always leads back to the starting point
the cycle of nitrogen in the living world
2
cyclic
ˈsī-klik also ˈsik-lik
adjective
cyclically adverb

cycle

2 of 2 intransitive verb
cycled; cycling
: to undergo the estrous cycle
the mare has begun cycling

More from Merriam-Webster on cycle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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