circle
circles; circling; circled
A circle is the round shape formed by all the points equidistant from a center point. This shape can be found everywhere, from the ring on your finger to the performance space in a circus (which sounds suspiciously similar, doesn’t it?).
The Greek word kirkos meant circle, but the word goes back even further to the Proto-Indo-European word kirk, which meant "to bend." The noun refers to that round shape, while the verb form means to move around or surround something. Are you going to knock on the door or just circle around the house all day? If you feel like you haven't been getting anywhere with something, you might say you're "going in circles."
Definitions of circle
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ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point“he calculated the circumference of the circle”
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types:
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circle of curvature, osculating circle
the circle that touches a curve (on the concave side) and whose radius is the radius of curvature
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circlet
a small circle
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equator
a circle dividing a sphere or other surface into two usually equal and symmetrical parts
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epicycle
a circle that rolls around (inside or outside) another circle; generates an epicycloid or hypocycloid
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something approximating the shape of a circle
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any circular or rotating mechanism“the machine punched out metal circles”
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synonyms:
round
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types:
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disc, disk
a flat circular plate
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acetate disk, phonograph recording disk
a disk coated with cellulose acetate
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brake disk
a disk or plate that is fixed to the wheel; pressure is applied to it by the brake pads
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deadeye
(nautical) a round hardwood disk with holes and a grooved perimeter used to tighten a shroud
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diaphragm
electro-acoustic transducer that vibrates to receive or produce sound waves
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discus, saucer
a disk used in throwing competitions
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Frisbee
a light, plastic disk about 10 inches in diameter; propelled with a flip of the wrist for recreation or competition
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coin blank, planchet
a flat metal disk ready for stamping as a coin
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hockey puck, puck
a vulcanized rubber disk 3 inches in diameter that is used instead of a ball in ice hockey
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token
a metal or plastic disk that can be redeemed or used in designated slot machines
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type of:
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rotating mechanism
a mechanism that rotates
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a road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island
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synonyms:
rotary, roundabout, traffic circle
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type of:
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junction
the place where two or more things come together
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junction
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a curved section or tier of seats in a hall or theater or opera house; usually the first tier above the orchestra“they had excellent seats in the dress circle”
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synonyms:
dress circle
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type of:
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seating, seating area, seating room, seats
an area that includes places where several people can sit
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seating, seating area, seating room, seats
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move in circles
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synonyms:
circulate
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orb, orbit, revolve
move in an orbit
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troll
circulate, move around
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loop
fly loops, perform a loop
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loop
move in loops
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retrograde
move backward in an orbit, of celestial bodies
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form a circle around
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an unofficial association of people or groups
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car pool
a small group of car drivers who arrange to take turns driving while the others are passengers
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camp, clique, coterie, ingroup, inner circle, pack
an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
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cohort
a band of warriors (originally a unit of a Roman Legion)
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confederacy, conspiracy
a group of conspirators banded together to achieve some harmful or illegal purpose
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Four Hundred
the exclusive social set of a city
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horsey set, horsy set
a set of people sharing a devotion to horses and horseback riding and horse racing
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jet set
a set of rich and fashionable people who travel widely for pleasure
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company, party
a band of people associated temporarily in some activity
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Bloomsbury Group
an inner circle of writers and artists and philosophers who lived in or around Bloomsbury early in the 20th century and were noted for their unconventional lifestyles
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bohemia
a group of artists and writers with real or pretended artistic or intellectual aspirations and usually an unconventional life style
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brain trust, kitchen cabinet
an inner circle of unofficial advisors to the head of a government
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loop
an inner circle of advisors (especially under President Reagan)
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cabal, camarilla, faction, junto
a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue
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junta, military junta
a group of military officers who rule a country after seizing power
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maffia, mafia
any tightly knit group of trusted associates
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faction, sect
a dissenting clique
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fatigue party
a group of soldiers on fatigue duty
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landing party
a part of a ship's company organized for special duties ashore
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party to the action, party to the transaction
a party of people taking a role in legal proceedings
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rescue party
a party of rescuers
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search party
a party of people to search for someone
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stretcher party
a party of people with stretchers to carry an injured person
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war party
a band of warriors who raid or fight an enemy (used especially of Native Americans)
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galere, rogue's gallery
a coterie of undesirable people
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hard core
the most dedicated and intensely loyal nucleus of a group or movement
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type of:
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social group
people sharing some social relation
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movement once around a course
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types:
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pace lap
the first lap of a car race that prepares the cars for a fast start
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lap of honour, victory lap
a lap by the winning person or team run to celebrate the victory
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type of:
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locomotion, travel
self-propelled movement
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pace lap
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travel around something“circle the globe”
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types:
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circumambulate, walk around
walk around something
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circumnavigate, compass
travel completely around something, especially by ship or plane
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circle around, circle round, revolve around
move around in a circular motion
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circumambulate, walk around
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street names for flunitrazepan
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synonyms:
Mexican valium, R-2, forget me drug, roach, roofy, rope, rophy
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type of:
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Rohypnol, flunitrazepan
a depressant and tranquilizer (trade name Rohypnol) often used in the commission of sexual assault; legally available in Europe and Mexico and Colombia
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Rohypnol, flunitrazepan
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘circle'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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