- 1 a completely round flat shape Cut out two circles of paper. see also semicircle Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecomplete, full, concentric, … verb + circledraw, trace, describe, … prepositionin a/the circle, circle of phrasesthe area of a circle, the circumference of a circle, the diameter of a circle, … See full entry
- 2 the line that forms the edge of a circle Draw a circle. She walked the horse round in a circle. see also Antarctic Circle, Arctic Circle, turning circle Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecomplete, full, concentric, … verb + circledraw, trace, describe, … prepositionin a/the circle, circle of phrasesthe area of a circle, the circumference of a circle, the diameter of a circle, … See full entry
- 3 a thing or a group of people or things shaped like a circle a circle of trees/chairs The children stood in a circle. see also corn circle, crop circle Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecomplete, full, concentric, … verb + circledraw, trace, describe, … prepositionin a/the circle, circle of phrasesthe area of a circle, the circumference of a circle, the diameter of a circle, … See full entry
- 4(also balcony) an upper floor of a theatre or cinema/movie theater where the seats are arranged in curved rows We had seats in the circle. see also dress circle Wordfindertheatreartistic director, auditorium, balcony, box office, circle, director, foyer, stage, the stalls, theatre Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivedress, upper See full entry See related entries: In the theatre
- 5a group of people who are connected because they have the same interests, jobs, etc. the family circle She's well known in theatrical circles. a large circle of friends see also charmed circle, inner circle, vicious circle Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivewide, narrow, small, … verb + circlehave, move in, join, … prepositionin a/the circle phrasesa circle of acquaintances, a circle of admirers, a circle of friends, … See full entry Word OriginOld English, from Old French cercle, from Latin circulus ‘small ring’, diminutive of circus ‘ring’.Extra examples He turned the car in a tight circle. He’s joined the inner circles of the court early in his career. How long does it take for the dial to rotate through a full circle? If you follow the road signs you will simply find yourself going round in a circle. If you follow the signs you find yourself going around in a circle. My brother and I move in completely different circles. My seat is in the front row of the dress circle. She has a wide circle of acquaintances. She moves in the highest social circles. Talk of religion was forbidden in the family circle. The planets move in circles around the sun. The stones form a complete circle. The water rippled in widening circles around the fountain. They treat anyone outside their immediate circle with suspicion. You need to widen your circle of friends. a design of overlapping circles friends in government circles He maintained influence in the inner circle of the president’s political advisers. Her ideas have caused controversy in scientific circles in recent years. She did not meet people outside her own small social circle. She failed to break into the charmed circle of political insiders. She walked the horse round in a circle. The children ran around the circle of chairs until the music stopped. While she is lauded in London intellectual circles, she is less well-known to the general public.Idioms
to return to the situation in which you started, after a series of events or experiences
to work hard at something or discuss something without making any progress
(informal) to be busy doing something without achieving anything important or making progress
Check pronunciation: circle
