cycle

cycle — noun

IPA/ˈsaɪkl/
KK[sˈaɪkəl]IPA/ˈsaɪkl/
  • cyclesingular
  • cyclesplural

1. A two-wheeled vehicle that you ride by pushing pedals with your feet.

1.nounA2
Definition

A two-wheeled vehicle that you ride by pushing pedals with your feet.

Example

Shirin parked her cycle outside the library and went in to study.

The red cycle next to the café belongs to a young nurse named Hari.

cycle used as countable noun for bicycle

Common collocations
  • ride a cycle
  • park a cycle
  • cycle lane
  • cycle path
  • cycle helmet
  • cycle race
Synonyms
  • bicycle

    The most common term; 'bicycle' sounds slightly more formal than 'cycle'.

  • bike

    Informal short form; very common in spoken English.

  • two-wheeler

    Informal and less common; refers to any vehicle with two wheels.

Grammar Patterns

cycle + verb (as subject)

possessive + cycle

article/determiner + cycle

Usage Note

In everyday speech, 'bicycle' or 'bike' is more common than 'cycle' in American English. 'Cycle' is more frequent in British English for referring to a bicycle.

Common Mistakes

I ride cycle every day.
I ride a cycle every day.
'cycle' is a countable noun and needs a determiner.

2. A set of happenings or stages that follow one after another in a fixed order and

2.nounB1
Definition

A set of happenings or stages that follow one after another in a fixed order and typically begin again once they finish.

Example

The seasons follow a natural cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

cycle of + [seasons] natural repeated pattern

Doctors studied the sleep cycle of nurses who worked through the night.

Common collocations
  • life cycle
  • business cycle
  • vicious cycle
  • virtuous cycle
  • sleep cycle
  • menstrual cycle
  • complete a cycle
  • break the cycle
Synonyms
  • pattern

    More general; a pattern may repeat without being a fixed sequence of distinct stages.

  • rotation

    Focuses on items or people taking turns in order, not necessarily repeating events in nature.

  • rhythm

    Implies a regular, often pleasing, beat or pattern; common for biological or musical processes.

  • series

    A sequence of events without the implication of repetition.

Grammar Patterns

cycle of + noun phrase

the + noun + cycle

in a cycle

Usage Note

Often appears in fixed collocations such as 'life cycle', 'business cycle', 'vicious cycle', and 'sleep cycle'. The object or domain noun typically comes before 'cycle'.

Common Mistakes

The cycle of weather is normal.
The weather follows a natural cycle.
'cycle' is usually described by what it involves rather than used with a simple possessive.

3. A complete set of movements or stages that a machine, engine, or electronic devi

3.nounB2
Definition

A complete set of movements or stages that a machine, engine, or electronic device goes through before starting again.

Example

The washing machine completes one full cycle in about forty minutes.

full cycle — complete machine operation

During the drying cycle, the machine spins the clothes at very high speed.

Common collocations
  • wash cycle
  • drying cycle
  • spin cycle
  • startup cycle
  • complete a cycle
Synonyms
  • operation

    Broader term; can refer to a single action or a whole procedure.

  • run

    Informal; 'a run of the dishwasher' means one complete cycle.

  • programme

    British English; the preset series of operations a machine follows.

Grammar Patterns

the + noun + cycle

cycle of + noun phrase

cycle + verb

Usage Note

Commonly paired with the name of the appliance or function: 'wash cycle', 'drying cycle', 'spin cycle', 'startup cycle'. The process is typically automatic.

Common Mistakes

Put your clothes in the cycle.
Put your clothes in the washing machine during the wash cycle.
'cycle' refers to the process, not the machine itself.

4. A set of poems, songs, plays, or novels created by the same person and linked by

4.nounC1
Definition

A set of poems, songs, plays, or novels created by the same person and linked by shared characters or themes.

Example

The composer wrote a cycle of four songs about the changing seasons.

cycle of + [number] + [creative works]

Tolkien's cycle of fantasy novels follows the journey of several different characters.

Common collocations
  • song cycle
  • cycle of poems
  • cycle of plays
  • Arthurian cycle
Synonyms
  • series

    Much broader; a series of books can be unrelated in theme but connected by characters.

  • sequence

    Focuses on chronological order; less common for artistic works.

  • collection

    A collection may be a group of works that share no thematic connection.

Grammar Patterns

cycle of + plural noun

song cycle

cycle of + creative work

Usage Note

Most common in literary and music criticism. 'Song cycle' is a fixed term for a set of related songs meant to be performed together.

5. A rare baseball accomplishment where a batter safely reaches first, second, and

5.nounC1
Definition

A rare baseball accomplishment where a batter safely reaches first, second, and third base plus home plate with base hits in one game.

Example

The batter hit for the cycle after getting a home run in the eighth inning.

hit for the cycle — fixed baseball phrase

Only a few players in baseball history have managed to hit for the cycle.

Common collocations
  • hit for the cycle
  • complete the cycle
  • achieve the cycle

Grammar Patterns

hit for the cycle

hit for a cycle

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the fixed expression 'hit for the cycle'. Can also appear as 'hit for a cycle'. The order of hits does not matter.

cycle — verb

IPA/ˈsaɪ.kəl/
KK[sˈaɪkəl]IPA/ˈsaɪ.kəl/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All five words describe sequences of events, but they differ in emphasis. 'Cycle' stresses that the events go back to the starting point and repeat — like the seasons or a washing machine's programme. 'Pattern' is broader: a pattern can be a repeating design or a habit that may or may not involve returning to a start. 'Rhythm' suggests a regular, often pleasing beat or flow, common in nature (heartbeat, sleep) and music. 'Rotation' focuses on taking turns or moving in a circular order, like workers on different shifts or crops in different fields. 'Series' simply means a sequence with no built-in repetition — once a series ends, that may be the end. For example, you can have a series of meetings without them forming a cycle; but a business cycle always leads back to the beginning of the pattern.

cycle ↗pattern ↗rhythm ↗rotation ↗series ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in a cycle
  • on a cycle
  • cycle of events
  • go through a cycle
  • come full cycle

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'cycle' comes from the Greek word 'kyklos', meaning a circle or a wheel. It passed into Latin as 'cyclus', then into French as 'cycle', and entered English around the 14th century. The original idea of something that goes around and returns to its starting point is still at the heart of most modern meanings — whether a bicycle's wheels, a repeating set of events, or a complete machine operation.