cir‧cle 1 S2 W2 / sɜk ə l $ sɜr- / 名词 [可数名词]
1 shape a completely round shape, like the letter O :
Draw a circle 10 cm in diameter.
Cut the pastry into circles.
2 arranged in a circle a group of people or things arranged in the shape of a circle :
The children stood round in a circle .
circle of
a circle of chairs
3 group of people a group of people who know each other and meet regularly, or who have similar interests or jobs
circle of
a circle of friends
political/legal/literary etc circles
He’s well-known in fashionable circles .
Johnson was part of the President’s inner circle (= the people who have the most influence ) .
4 theatre British English the upper floor of a theatre, that has seats arranged in curved rows 同义词 balcony American English
5 go/run around in circles to think or argue about something without deciding anything or making progress
6 come/go full circle ( also turn full circle British English ) to end in the same situation in which you began, even though there have been changes in the time in between :
Sooner or later, fashion comes full circle.
7 (dark) circles under your eyes dark areas under your eyes that you have when you are very tired
→ square the circle at square 3 ( 5 ) , → vicious circle
COLLOCATIONS
短语
a circle of friends Over the years she had established a circle of good friends.
a circle of acquaintances (= a group of people that someone knows ) She has a wide circle of acquaintances.
a circle of admirers (= a group of people who admire someone ) When she was young, Sophie had a large circle of male admirers.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + circle
academic/political/literary etc circles There has been a lot of debate about this issue in political circles.
a wide/large circle They now had a wide circle of acquaintances in the area.
a small/narrow circle Ken was the centre of a small circle of artists and writers.
sb’s inner circle (= the people who influence someone the most ) He was among the Prime Minister’s inner circle of advisers.
a social circle Dan and I didn’t mix in the same social circles.
the family circle It’s important for children to have friends outside the family circle.
sb’s immediate circle (= your family and some close friends ) We didn’t tell anyone what had happened outside our immediate circle.
a close circle (= in which the people know each other very well ) He cultivated a close circle of musical acquaintances.
a close-knit/intimate circle (= a close one ) His intimate circle was tiny.
a closed circle (= not open to other people ) He didn’t have much experience of life beyond the closed circle of his family.
a limited circle His writing was popular with a limited circle of enthusiasts.
动词
have a circle of friends/acquaintances etc She was beautiful and had a wide circle of admirers.
move/mix in a circle (= belong to a particular type of circle ) At Harvard he moved in scientific circles.
be a member of a circle He was a powerful member of a circle of financiers.
widen your circle (= make it include more people ) In London she set about widening her circle.
build up/establish a circle Michael built up a wide circle of customers and friends worldwide.
THESAURUS
types of shapes
square a shape with four straight sides that are equal in length and four angles of 90 degrees
circle a round shape that is like an O
semicircle half a circle
triangle a shape with three straight sides and three angles
rectangle a shape with four straight sides and four angles of 90 degrees
oval a shape like a circle, but that is longer than it is wide
cylinder an object in the shape of a tube
cube a solid object with six equal square sides
pyramid a shape with a square base and four triangular sides that meet in a point at the top
sphere a shape like a ball