cycle

[ sahy-kuhl ]

noun

1. any complete round or series of occurrences that repeats or is repeated.
2. a round of years or a recurring period of time, especially one in which certain events or phenomena repeat themselves in the same order and at the same intervals.
3. any long period of years; age.
4. a bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.
5. a group of poems, dramas, prose narratives, songs etc., about a central theme, figure, or the like:

   the Arthurian cycle.

6. Physics.
   1. a sequence of changing states that, upon completion, produces a final state identical to the original one.
   2. one of a succession of periodically recurring events.
   3. a complete alteration in which a phenomenon attains a maximum and minimum value, returning to a final value equal to the original one.
7. Mathematics. a permutation of a set of elements that leaves the original cyclic order of the elements unchanged.
8. Computers.
   1. the smallest interval of time required to complete an operation in a computer.
   2. a series of computer operations repeated as a unit.

verb (used without object)

, cy·cled, cy·cling.

1. to ride or travel by bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.
2. to move or revolve in cycles; pass through cycles.

cycle

/ ˈsaɪkəl /

noun

1. a recurring period of time in which certain events or phenomena occur and reach completion or repeat themselves in a regular sequence
2. a completed series of events that follows or is followed by another series of similar events occurring in the same sequence
3. the time taken or needed for one such series
4. a vast period of time; age; aeon
5. a group of poems or prose narratives forming a continuous story about a central figure or event

   the Arthurian cycle

6. a series of miracle plays

   the Chester cycle

7. a group or sequence of songs See song cycle
8. short for bicycle tricycle motorcycle
9. astronomy the orbit of a celestial body
10. a recurrent series of events or processes in plants and animals

    a growth cycle

    a life cycle

    a metabolic cycle

11. physics a continuous change or a sequence of changes in the state of a system that leads to the restoration of the system to its original state after a finite period of time
12. one of a series of repeated changes in the magnitude of a periodically varying quantity, such as current or voltage
13. computing
    1. a set of operations that can be both treated and repeated as a unit
    2. the time required to complete a set of operations
    3. one oscillation of the regular voltage waveform used to synchronize processes in a digital computer
14. (in generative grammar) the set of cyclic rules

verb

1. tr to process through a cycle or system
2. intr to move in or pass through cycles
3. to travel by or ride a bicycle or tricycle

cycle

/ sī′kəl /

1. A single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon.
2. See also period
3. A circular or whorled arrangement of flower parts such as those of petals or stamens.

Derived Forms

• ˈcycling, nounadjective

Other Words From

• super·cycle noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cycle¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cicle, from Late Latin cyclus, from Greek kýklos “cycle, circle, wheel, ring, disk, orb”; wheel

Word History and Origins

Origin of cycle¹

C14: from Late Latin cyclus, from Greek kuklos cycle, circle, ring, wheel; see wheel

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hit for the cycle, Baseball. (of one player) to hit a single, double, triple, and home run in one game.

Example Sentences

In 2024, skepticism that might have previously lasted a whole news cycle now evaporates the same day.

From Salon

Camarillo sits in a chaparral ecosystem — one dominated by dry fire-loving brush that, as a natural part of the ecosystem’s life cycle, routinely burns.

From Los Angeles Times

Palmieri, for her part, said the will they-won't they news cycle created a "weird dynamic" between the campaign and Rogan.

From Salon

Crew use two treadmills that they must strap into to stop themselves floating away, and a cycle ergometer for endurance training.

From BBC

“What normally happens is the losing party rebounds — so there’s always the next cycle for Democrats to look forward to,” he concluded.

From Salon

Related Words

• course
• period
• revolution
• rhythm
• round
• series