circle

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A plane curve everywhere equidistant from a given fixed point, the center.
2. n. A planar region bounded by a circle.
3. n. Something, such as a ring, shaped like such a plane curve.
4. n. A circular course, circuit, or orbit: a satellite's circle around the earth.
5. n. A traffic circle.
6. n. A curved section or tier of seats in a theater.
7. n. A series or process that finishes at its starting point or continuously repeats itself; a cycle.
8. n. A group of people sharing an interest, activity, or achievement: well-known in artistic circles.
9. n. A territorial or administrative division, especially of a province, in some European countries.
10. n. A sphere of influence or interest; domain.
11. n. Logic A vicious circle.
12. v. To make or form a circle around; enclose. See Synonyms at surround.
13. v. To move in a circle around.
14. v. To move in a circle. See Synonyms at turn.
15. idiom. circle the wagons To take a defensive position; become defensive.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In elementary geom., a plane figure whose periphery is everywhere equally distant from a point within it, the center; in modern geom., the periphery of such a figure; a circumference.
2. n. A circular formation or arrangement; a circlet; a ring: as, a circle of stones or of lights.
3. n. A round body; a sphere; an orb.
4. n. Circuit; course.
5. n. Compass; inclosure.
6. n. Something conceived as analogous to a circle; specifically, a number of persons intimately related to a central interest, person, or event; hence, a number of persons associated by any tie; a coterie; a set: as, a circle of ideas; to move in the higher circles of society; the circles of fashion; the family circle.
7. n. A series ending where it begins, and perpetually repeated.
8. n. A complete system, involving several subordinate divisions: as, the circle of the sciences.
9. n. Circumlocution; indirect form of speech.
10. n. In logic, an inconclusive form of argument, in which two or more unproved statements, or their equivalents, are used to prove each other: often called a vicious circle, or argument in a circle.
11. n. The English equivalent of the name given in some countries, as in Germany, to certain administrative divisions.
12. n. In astronomy and geodesy, a piece of metal or glass with lines engraved upon it so as to form graduations dividing the circumference of a circle into equal parts; hence, any instrument of which such a graduated circle forms the part that is most important or most difficult to make.
13. n. A small shuttle made in the form of horseshoe, and moving in a circular path. It is a French improvement on the simple swivel, and is used in tissue-weaving to form figures on the surface of a fabric.
14. n. In geography, a small circle the plane of which is perpendicular to the axis of the earth; a circle of the globe parallel to the equator: more usually called a parallel of latitude.
15. n. A line showing the hour on a sun-dial.
16. n. A circle of declination: referred to as the two-hour circle, etc., especially as the six-hour circle.
17. To encircle; encompass; surround; inclose.
18. To move around; revolve around.
19. To make to move in a circle or to revolve.
20. To move in a round or circle; circulate; revolve or turn circularly.
21. To form a circle; assume or have the form of circle.
22. n. A bookbinders' wheel-shaped tool, having a design engraved on the rim or edge.
23. n. A circle of communicating arterioles on the sclerotic surrounding the optic nerve.
24. n. A ring of fibrocartilage which gives support to the auriculoventricular valve on each side of the heart. Also called circulus callosus Halleri.
25. n. The circumcircle of the triangle of similitude of three figures directly similar.
26. n. Second Lemoine circle. Same as cosine circle.
27. n. In gearing, the pitch-circle.
28. n. In surgery, the passage of chyme, after gastro-enterostomy, through the artificial opening into the intestine, and then its regurgitation, in consequence of antiperistaltic action, through the pylorus back into the stomach.
29. n. The mutually accelerating action of two independent but coexisting diseases.

Wiktionary

1. n. geometry A two-dimensional geometric figure, a line, consisting of the set of all those points in a plane that are equally distant from another point.
2. n. A two-dimensional geometric figure, a disk, consisting of the set of all those points of a plane at a distance less than or equal to a fixed distance from another point.
3. n. Any thin three-dimensional equivalent of the geometric figures.
4. n. A curve that more or less forms part or all of a circle.
5. n. Orbit.
6. n. A specific group of persons.
7. n. cricket A line comprising two semicircles of 30 yards radius centred on the wickets joined by straight lines parallel to the pitch used to enforce field restrictions in a one-day match.
8. n. Wicca A ritual circle that is casted three times deosil and closes three times widdershins either in the air with a wand or literally with stones or other itmes used for worship.
9. n. South Africa A traffic circle or roundabout.
10. v. transitive To travel around along a curved path.
11. v. transitive To surround.
12. v. transitive To place or mark a circle around.
13. v. intransitive To travel in circles.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A plane figure, bounded by a single curve line called its circumference, every part of which is equally distant from a point within it, called the center.
2. n. The line that bounds such a figure; a circumference; a ring.
3. n. (Astron.) An instrument of observation, the graduated limb of which consists of an entire circle.
4. n. A round body; a sphere; an orb.
5. n. Compass; circuit; inclosure.
6. n. A company assembled, or conceived to assemble, about a central point of interest, or bound by a common tie; a class or division of society; a coterie; a set.
7. n. A circular group of persons; a ring.
8. n. A series ending where it begins, and repeating itself.
9. n. (Logic) A form of argument in which two or more unproved statements are used to prove each other; inconclusive reasoning.
10. n. rare Indirect form of words; circumlocution.
11. n. A territorial division or district.
12. v. To move around; to revolve around.
13. v. To encompass, as by a circle; to surround; to inclose; to encircle.
14. v. To move circularly; to form a circle; to circulate.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. travel around something
2. n. movement once around a course
3. n. a road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island
4. n. street names for flunitrazepan
5. v. move in circles
6. n. an unofficial association of people or groups
7. v. form a circle around
8. n. any circular or rotating mechanism
9. n. 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
10. n. something approximating the shape of a circle
11. n. a curved section or tier of seats in a hall or theater or opera house; usually the first tier above the orchestra