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"
a road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island
"the accident blocked all traffic at the rotary"
street names for flunitrazepan
"The doctor warned that some illicit drug markets operate on underground networks where 'Circle' is a code name used to refer to flunitrazepam."
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"
A two-dimensional geometric figure, a line, consisting of the set of all those points in a plane that are equally distant from a given point (center).
"The radius extends from the center to any point on the circle."
In plain English: A circle is a round shape that has no corners and is the same distance from its center all the way around.
"The dog ran in a tight circle around the tree."
Usage: Use "circle" as a noun to describe a round shape with no corners where every point on its edge is the same distance from the center. Avoid using it for a group of people, which should instead be called a "group," "team," or "circle of friends."
move in a circular path above (someone or something)
"the plane circled, looking for a landing spot"
To travel around along a curved path.
"The birds began to circle above the lake, tracing wide arcs in the sky before diving down."
In plain English: To circle something means to move around it in a round path.
"The dog ran in circles until he got tired."
Usage: Use circle when describing something moving in a round path around a central point, such as a bird circling a tree or a car circling a block. Do not use it for straight lines or simple turns unless the motion clearly follows a curved trajectory.
A census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. Erroneously thought to be on the Arctic Circle, which is 50 miles further north.
"After visiting the small community of Circle and learning about its confusing name, I finally understood why locals joke that it's not actually located near the Arctic Circle at all."
The word circle comes from the Latin diminutive circulus, meaning "little circle," which was borrowed into Middle English via Old French. Its ultimate origin is Ancient Greek kirkos, a term for a ring or circle that is related to the Old English word hring.