circle
/ˈsɜːkl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɜːrkl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsər-kəl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈsɜː.kəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsɝː.kəl/ (ame, ipa)
circle — noun
1. a round form created by a curved line whose points all stay the same distance fr
a round form created by a curved line whose points all stay the same distance from a central point; the flat region enclosed by that line
The children sat on the carpet in a circle to listen to the story.
in a circle — prepositional phrase for arrangement
Yara drew a large red circle on her piece of paper.
draw + circle: common verb–noun collocation
The clock on the classroom wall is a perfect white circle.
Cut the cookie dough into small circles with a knife.
A full moon is a bright circle hanging in the night sky.
- square
a shape with four straight sides of equal length and four right angles
用法筆記
Countable noun. Often used with 'in' to describe arrangement: 'in a circle'. Also followed by 'of' to specify what is shaped that way: 'a circle of light'.
常見錯誤
2. any set of individuals connected through similar interests, shared work, or soci
any set of individuals connected through similar interests, shared work, or social bonds with one another
Priya has a wide circle of friends from different countries.
circle of friends — most common collocation
The novel was widely discussed in academic circles across Europe.
academic circles / political circles / business circles
Rohan moved in literary circles after publishing his first book of poetry.
Her close circle of colleagues supported her through the difficult project.
The Watanabe family's social circle includes many artists and musicians.
文法句型
circle of + plural noun
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'of + noun' to specify the type of people (circle of friends, circle of colleagues). The expression 'move in … circles' describes someone's typical social or professional environment.
常見錯誤
3. a curved seating area on an upper level of a theatre, cinema, or similar perform
a curved seating area on an upper level of a theatre, cinema, or similar performance venue
Theo bought cheap tickets for the circle at the National Theatre.
From the upper circle, Nadia could see the entire stage perfectly.
upper circle / dress circle — specific balcony levels
The family sat in the dress circle to watch the ballet performance.
The theatre has three levels: stalls, circle, and balcony.
- stalls
the lowest level of seating on the ground floor of a theatre
用法筆記
Chiefly British English. In US theatres the same level is usually called the 'mezzanine' or 'balcony'. Common specific varieties: 'dress circle' (the first balcony, slightly more expensive seats) and 'upper circle' (higher, cheaper seats).
circle — verb
1. to go along a curved path that passes around a person, thing, or place, sometime
to go along a curved path that passes around a person, thing, or place, sometimes repeatedly; to travel in a loop around something
Eagles circled high above the mountain valley looking for food.
intransitive: circle + location adverb
A police helicopter circled the building twice before landing on the roof.
transitive: circle + direct object
The plane circled the airport for forty minutes waiting for permission to land.
Kofi watched the dancers circle one another slowly in the middle of the room.
Shadows circled the room as the candle flame flickered in the breeze.
文法句型
circle + object (transitive)
circle around + object (intransitive)
circle + adverb phrase
用法筆記
Can be used intransitively ('The birds circled above') or transitively ('The plane circled the airport'). The intransitive form is often followed by an adverb of place or 'around'. This sense is less common in everyday conversation and more frequent in descriptive or formal narrative contexts.
常見錯誤
2. to draw a circular line around a word, number, letter, or symbol on a page in or
to draw a circular line around a word, number, letter, or symbol on a page in order to select, highlight, or mark it
The teacher told the students to circle the correct answer on the worksheet.
common in classroom instructions
Hana circled the wedding date on her calendar with a red pen.
Circle any words in the passage that you do not understand.
The student circled the spelling mistake and wrote the correction above it.
Diego circled the names of three candidates on the voting paper.
- cross out
to draw a line through something to remove or reject it
文法句型
circle + noun phrase
用法筆記
Very common in classroom instructions, exam directions, and marking. The action is done with a pen or pencil. This sense is purely about drawing a circle around something on a flat surface — not about physical movement.
常見錯誤
3. to place or arrange people or objects so that they form the shape of a circle, o
to place or arrange people or objects so that they form the shape of a circle, often around a central point or person
The teacher circled the desks so students could see one another during the discussion.
active form + around omitted (implied by context)
The children circled the birthday cake and began to sing loudly.
The stones were circled around the campfire to mark the edge of the sitting area.
Leila circled the chairs around the low table for the evening gathering of friends.
- spread out
to place items apart from each other rather than in a closed shape
文法句型
circle + noun phrase + around + noun phrase
be circled + prepositional phrase
用法筆記
Often used in the passive voice ('The chairs were circled around the table'). The pattern 'circle + noun + around + noun' is the most common. This sense overlaps partly with verb sense 1 (MOVE AROUND) but differs in that the focus here is on resulting arrangement, not motion.