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circle
(redirected from defensive circle)

   Also found in: Medical, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.35 sec.
cir·cle  (sûrkl)
n.
1. A plane curve everywhere equidistant from a given fixed point, the center.
2. A planar region bounded by a circle.
3. Something, such as a ring, shaped like such a plane curve.
4. A circular course, circuit, or orbit: a satellite's circle around the earth.
5. A traffic circle.
6. A curved section or tier of seats in a theater.
7. A series or process that finishes at its starting point or continuously repeats itself; a cycle.
8. A group of people sharing an interest, activity, or achievement: well-known in artistic circles.
9. A territorial or administrative division, especially of a province, in some European countries.
10. A sphere of influence or interest; domain.
11. Logic A vicious circle.
v. cir·cled, cir·cling, cir·cles
v.tr.
1. To make or form a circle around; enclose. See Synonyms at surround.
2. To move in a circle around.
v.intr.
To move in a circle. See Synonyms at turn.
Idiom:
circle the wagons
To take a defensive position; become defensive.

[Middle English cercle, from Old French, from Latin circulus, diminutive of circus, circle, from Greek kirkos, krikos; see sker-2 in Indo-European roots.]

circler (-klr) n.
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circle

circle
Noun
1. a curved line surrounding a central point, every point of the line being the same distance from the centre
2. the figure enclosed by such a curve
3. something formed or arranged in the shape of a circle: they ran round in little circles
4. a group of people sharing an interest, activity, or upbringing: his judgment is well respected in diplomatic circles
5. Theatre the section of seats above the main level of the auditorium
6. a process or chain of events or parts that forms a connected whole; cycle
7. come full circle to arrive back at one's starting point
Verb
[-cling, -cled]
1. to move in a circle (around)
2. to enclose in a circle [Latin circus]

circle  (sûrkl)
A closed curve whose points are all on the same plane and at the same distance from a fixed point (the center).
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circle

Circle Examples: circle of action, 1752; of admirers, 1793; of acquaintances, 1752; of doctrine, 1531; of fallacy, 1646; of foliages, 1713; of glory, 1595; literary circle; circle of onlookers, 1875; of pleasures, 1759; of passion, 1768; of possibilities, 1644; of probability, 1851; of sciences, 1854; of stars, 1611.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.circlecircle - 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; "he calculated the circumference of the circle"
circle of curvature, osculating circle - the circle that touches a curve (on the concave side) and whose radius is the radius of curvature
circlet - a small circle
equator - a circle dividing a sphere or other surface into two usually equal and symmetrical parts
arc - a continuous portion of a circle
ellipse, oval - a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it; "the sums of the distances from the foci to any point on an ellipse is constant"
epicycle - a circle that rolls around (inside or outside) another circle; generates an epicycloid or hypocycloid
2.circle - an unofficial association of people or groups; "the smart set goes there"; "they were an angry lot"
social group - people sharing some social relation
car pool - a small group of car drivers who arrange to take turns driving while the others are passengers
clique, coterie, ingroup, inner circle, camp, pack - an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
cohort - a band of warriors (originally a unit of a Roman Legion)
confederacy, conspiracy - a group of conspirators banded together to achieve some harmful or illegal purpose
Four Hundred - the exclusive social set of a city
horsey set, horsy set - a set of people sharing a devotion to horses and horseback riding and horse racing
jet set - a set of rich and fashionable people who travel widely for pleasure
party, company - a band of people associated temporarily in some activity; "they organized a party to search for food"; "the company of cooks walked into the kitchen"
3.circle - something approximating the shape of a circle; "the chairs were arranged in a circle"
shape, form - the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance; "geometry is the mathematical science of shape"
4.circle - movement once around a course; "he drove an extra lap just for insurance"
locomotion, travel - self-propelled movement
pace lap - the first lap of a car race that prepares the cars for a fast start
lap of honour, victory lap - a lap by the winning person or team run to celebrate the victory
5.circlecircle - a road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island; "the accident blocked all traffic at the rotary"
junction - the place where two or more things come together
road, route - an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
6.circle - street names for flunitrazepan
flunitrazepan, Rohypnol - a depressant and tranquilizer (trade name Rohypnol) often used in the commission of sexual assault; legally available in Europe and Mexico and Colombia
7.circle - a curved section or tier of seats in a hall or theater or opera house; usually the first tier above the orchestra; "they had excellent seats in the dress circle"
seating, seating area, seating room, seats - an area that includes places where several people can sit; "there is seating for 40 students in this classroom"
theater, theatre, house - a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented; "the house was full"
8.circle - any circular or rotating mechanism; "the machine punched out metal circles"
disk, disc - a flat circular plate
rotating mechanism - a mechanism that rotates
Verb1.circle - travel around something; "circle the globe"
go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
circumambulate, walk around - walk around something
circumnavigate, compass - travel around, either by plane or ship; "We compassed the earth"
circle around, circle round, revolve around - move around in a circular motion; "The Earth revolves around the Sun"
2.circle - move in circles
go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
orb, orbit, revolve - move in an orbit; "The moon orbits around the Earth"; "The planets are orbiting the sun"; "electrons orbit the nucleus"
troll - circulate, move around
loop - fly loops, perform a loop; "the stunt pilot looped his plane"
loop - move in loops; "The bicycle looped around the tree"
3.circle - form a circle around; "encircle the errors"
shape, form - give shape or form to; "shape the dough"; "form the young child's character"

circle
Translations
Spanish circle [ˈsəːkl] ncírculo;
(in theatre) → anfiteatro
vidar vueltas
vt (= surround) → rodear, cercar (= move round); dar la vuelta a

French circle [ˈsəːkl] ncercle m;
(in cinema) → balcon m
vifaire or décrire des cercles
vt (= surround) → entourer, encercler (= move round); faire le tour de, tourner autour de

German circle [ˈsəːkl] nKreis m;
(in cinema, theatre) → Rang m
vikreisen
vtkreisen um;
(surround) → umgeben

Italian circle [ˈsəːkl] ncerchio; [of friends etc] → circolo;
(in cinema) → galleria
vigirare in circolo
vt (= surround) → circondare (= move round); girare intorno a

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Though an outfielder cannot stay 100% focused out there in the field, once the pitcher goes into his motion, he must move into his defensive circle of concentration.
 
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