Circuit — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈsər-kət/ cir·cuit

Meaning & Definition of Circuit

Circuit (noun)

  1. a usually circular line encompassing an area
  2. the space enclosed within such a line
  3. a course around a periphery

Circuit (verb)

  1. to make a circuit about
  2. to make a circuit

Circuit (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in compass, ambit

    similar: ambit, compass, circumference, girth, waistline, equator, diameter, radius, perimeter, periphery

  2. as in loop, circle

    similar: circle, loop, orbit, course, line, path, pathway, route, routeway (chiefly British), steps, track, way, arc, flight path, trajectory, ascent, descent

  3. as in tour

    similar: tour, journey, travel(s), voyage, expedition, odyssey, safari, excursion, jaunt, junket, outing, ramble, sally, sashay, sortie, spin, detour, hike, peregrination, trek, walk, pilgrimage

  4. as in conference

    similar: conference, affiliation, cooperative, partnership, association, group, organization, faction, front, fusion, side, wing, cartel, syndicate, trust, cabal, conspiracy, junto, alliance, axis, bloc, block, coalition, combination, combine, confederacy, confederation, federation, league, union

Circuit (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to travel completely around

    "after circuiting the exterior of the church, the procession headed inside"

    similar: circle, circumnavigate, circumvent, compass, encircle, girdle, orbit, ring, round
    related: circumambulate, cross, perambulate, traverse

Related Entry: Circuit judge (noun)

Circuit judge is a different word from Circuit. The synonyms below are for circuit judge, not for circuit.

  1. as in chief justice, justice of the peace

    similar: chief justice, justice of the peace, squire, adjudicator, beak (chiefly British), bench, court, judge, jurist, justice, magistrate, auditor, master, jurisconsult, jurisprudent

Related Entry: Circuit judges (noun)

Circuit judges is a different word from Circuit. The synonyms below are for circuit judges, not for circuit.

  1. as in chief justices, justices of the peace

    similar: chief justices, justices of the peace, squires, adjudicators, beaks (chiefly British), benches, courts, judges, jurists, justices, magistrates, auditors, masters, jurisconsults, jurisprudents

Related Entry: Short-circuit (verb)

Short-circuit is a different word from Circuit. The synonyms below are for short-circuit, not for circuit.

  1. to create difficulty for the work or activity of

    "for decades the maverick filmmaker was short-circuited by a chronic lack of funds"

    similar: clog, cramp, embarrass, encumber, fetter, hamper, handcuff, handicap, hinder, hobble, hog-tie, hold back, hold up, impede, inhibit, interfere (with), manacle, obstruct, shackle, stymie, tie up, trammel, cramp one's style, give a hard time
    related: balk, check, constrain, curb, rein, restrain, bind, chain, halter, leash, tether, tie, arrest, brake, delay, retain, retard, barricade, block, blockade, roadblock, bog (down), mire, choke, smother, stifle, strangle, suffocate, baffle, foil, frustrate, stump, thwart, derail, disrupt, sabotage, muzzle, repress, suppress, confine, hedge (in), hem (in)
    opposite: aid, assist, facilitate, help
    near: clear, make way, open, unclog, unplug, unstop, free, liberate, release, untie, loosen, smooth, encourage, further, promote

Related Entry: Ride (verb)

Ride is a different word from Circuit. The synonyms below are for ride, not for circuit.

  1. to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults

    "that supervisor is always riding everyone for every little thing"

    similar: bait, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, taunt, tease, make game of, pick on
    related: deride, gibe, jeer, mock, ridicule, annoy, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, fret, frost, gall, get, gnaw (at), grate, gripe, hack (off), hagride, irk, irritate, itch, nag, nark (British), nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, trouble, vex, aggravate, exasperate, goad, test, try, aggrieve, agitate, bedevil, beleaguer, discomfort, disturb, perturb, badger, dog, hound, browbeat, bully, hector, harass, harry, persecute, plague, terrorize, torment, torture

  2. to make fun of in a good-natured way

    "his wife couldn't resist riding him for forgetting his own birthday"

    similar: chaff, jive, joke, josh, kid, rally, razz, rib, roast, tease, goof on (slang), take the mickey out of (British)
    related: banter, fool, fun, string along, jest, quip, wisecrack, gag, jape, jolly, yuk (slang)

  3. to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

    "a condor riding high in the sky"

    similar: drift, float, glide, hang, hover, poise, sail, swim, waft
    related: bob, dangle, suspend, buoy, balloon, raft
    opposite: settle, sink
    near: dive, lunge, plunge, dip, immerse, submerge, submerse

  4. to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

    "our plan for the party rides on whether he can come"

    similar: depend, hang, hinge, turn
    related: base, establish, found, rest, stay, ground

Related Entry: Ride (out) (verb)

Ride (out) is a different word from Circuit. The synonyms below are for ride (out), not for circuit.

  1. to come safely through

    "just as we always have in the past, we'll ride out this latest crisis"

    similar: survive, weather, make it (through)
    related: outlast, outlive, wear out, pull through, abide, continue, endure, hang on, hold on, hold out, hold up, last, lead, persist, stand, stick out, withstand, be, breathe, exist, live, subsist, flourish, prosper, thrive
    near: croak (slang), decease, depart, die, expire, pass (on), pass away, perish, succumb, disappear, evaporate, fade, vanish, cease, end, stop

Related Entry: Ridden (verb)

Ridden is a different word from Circuit. The synonyms below are for ridden, not for circuit.

  1. to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults

    "that supervisor is always riding everyone for every little thing"

    similar: baited, hassled, hazed, heckled, needled, taunted, teased, made game of, picked on
    related: derided, gibed, jeered, mocked, ridiculed, annoyed, bothered, bugged, burned (up), chafed, fretted, frosted, galled, gnawed (at), got, grated, griped, hacked (off), hagridden, irked, irritated, itched, nagged, narked (British), nettled, peeved, pestered, piqued, put out, rasped, riled, ruffled, spited, troubled, vexed, aggravated, exasperated, goaded, tested, tried, aggrieved, agitated, bedeviled, beleaguered, discomforted, disturbed, perturbed, badgered, dogged, hounded, browbeaten, bullied, hectored, harassed, harried, persecuted, plagued, terrorized, tormented, tortured

  2. to make fun of in a good-natured way

    "his wife couldn't resist riding him for forgetting his own birthday"

    similar: chaffed, jived, joked, joshed, kidded, rallied, razzed, ribbed, roasted, teased, goofed on (slang), taken the mickey out of (British)
    related: bantered, fooled, funned, strung along, jested, quipped, wisecracked, gagged, japed, jollied, yukked (slang)

  3. to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

    "a condor riding high in the sky"

    similar: drifted, floated, glided, hovered, hung, poised, sailed, swum, wafted
    related: bobbed, dangled, suspended, buoyed, ballooned, rafted
    opposite: settled, sunk
    near: dived, lunged, plunged, dipped, immersed, submerged, submersed

  4. to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

    "our plan for the party rides on whether he can come"

    similar: depended, hinged, hung, turned
    related: based, established, founded, rested, stayed, grounded

Related Entry: Rode (verb)

Rode is a different word from Circuit. The synonyms below are for rode, not for circuit.

  1. to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults

    "that supervisor is always riding everyone for every little thing"

    similar: baited, hassled, hazed, heckled, needled, taunted, teased, made game of, picked on
    related: derided, gibed, jeered, mocked, ridiculed, annoyed, bothered, bugged, burned (up), chafed, fretted, frosted, galled, gnawed (at), got, grated, griped, hacked (off), hagrode, irked, irritated, itched, nagged, narked (British), nettled, peeved, pestered, piqued, put out, rasped, riled, ruffled, spited, troubled, vexed, aggravated, exasperated, goaded, tested, tried, aggrieved, agitated, bedeviled, beleaguered, discomforted, disturbed, perturbed, badgered, dogged, hounded, browbeat, bullied, hectored, harassed, harried, persecuted, plagued, terrorized, tormented, tortured

  2. to make fun of in a good-natured way

    "his wife couldn't resist riding him for forgetting his own birthday"

    similar: chaffed, jived, joked, joshed, kidded, rallied, razzed, ribbed, roasted, teased, goofed on (slang), took the mickey out of (British)
    related: bantered, fooled, funned, strung along, jested, quipped, wisecracked, gagged, japed, jollied, yukked (slang)

  3. to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

    "a condor riding high in the sky"

    similar: drifted, floated, glided, hovered, hung, poised, sailed, swam, wafted
    related: bobbed, dangled, suspended, buoyed, ballooned, rafted
    opposite: sank, settled
    near: dived, lunged, plunged, dipped, immersed, submerged, submersed

  4. to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

    "our plan for the party rides on whether he can come"

    similar: depended, hinged, hung, turned
    related: based, established, founded, rested, stayed, grounded

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Circuit

The most common words with a similar meaning to Circuit:

Chiefly British: routeway
ambit, compass, circumference, girth, waistline, equator, diameter, radius, perimeter, periphery, circle, loop, orbit, course, line, path, pathway, route, steps, track, way, arc, flight path, trajectory, ascent, descent, tour, journey, travel(s), voyage, expedition, odyssey, safari, excursion, jaunt, junket, outing, ramble, sally, sashay

Related Words for Circuit

circumambulate, cross, perambulate, traverse

Word Forms of Circuit

Inflections: circuited, circuiting, circuits

Derived words: circuital (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Circuit

Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French circuite, from Latin circuitus, from circumire, circuire to go around, from circum- + ire to go issue:1

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Circuit

Words & Phrases Containing Circuit

circuit board, circuit breaker, circuit court, circuit judge, circuit rider, application-specific integrated circuit, Borscht Circuit, closed-circuit

Frequently Asked Questions about Circuit

What does "Circuit" mean?

"Circuit" means a usually circular line encompassing an area. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a usually circular line encompassing an area. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Circuit"?

Other words for "Circuit" include ambit, compass, circumference, girth, waistline, equator, diameter and radius. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Circuit" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Circuit"?

There are 89 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Circuit". Common alternatives include ambit, compass, circumference, girth, waistline, equator, diameter, radius, perimeter and periphery.

How do you use "Circuit" in a sentence?

Examples of "Circuit" in a sentence: "after circuiting the exterior of the church, the procession headed inside".

Is "Circuit" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Circuit" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Circuit" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Circuit" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Circuit"?

"Circuit" is pronounced /ˈsər-kət/ and divided into syllables as cir·cuit.

What is the origin of the word "Circuit"?

"Circuit" comes from Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French circuite, from Latin circuitus, from circumire, circuire to go around, from circum- + ire to go issue:1. First known use: 14th century.