1.circle用作及物动词的意思是“绕,绕过,围”。
2.circle用作不及物动词时表示“盘旋,环行”,引申可作“流传”解。

circle around¹〔round〕(v.+adv.)
绕圈子; 盘旋; 传开 move circles round; fly in circles; spread out
▲circle around〔round〕
Our main force was ordered to circle around and attack the enemy's rear.我军主力奉命迂回,然后从背后袭击敌人。
The enemy's planes circled round and round above our heads.敌机在我们头上不停地盘旋。
The happy news soon circled round.喜讯很快就传开了。

circle around²(v.+prep.)
围绕 move round sb/sth
▲circle around sb/sth
They circle around the king.他们围绕着国王。
The hawk circled around its prey.老鹰在它的猎物周围盘旋。

circle over(v.+prep.)
在…上空盘旋 fly in circles over sth
▲circle over sth
Vultures circled over a dead animal.秃鹫在动物尸体上空盘旋。
The aircraft circled over the landing-field.飞机在起落场上空盘旋。

用作不及物动词
▲S+～(+A)
They saw the birds were circling again.他们看见鸟儿又在盘旋。
A number of planes were circling overhead.数架飞机在上空盘旋。
Rumors circled through the town.谣言传遍全镇。
用作及物动词
▲S+～+n./pron.
The plane circled the airport before landing.飞机着陆以前在机场上空盘旋。
The teacher circles the pupil's spelling mistakes in red ink.老师用红笔把学生的拼写错误圈出来。
The moon circles the earth.月亮围绕地球转。
The ship has circled the Cape.船绕过了好望角。
The enemy circled the camp.敌人包围了营地。

circle, encompass, environ, gird, girdle, hem, ring, surround
参见surround条。

［同义词］ n. ring, class, club, group, set v. encircle, enclose, round
［词源］  ＜中古英语cercle＜古法语、拉丁语circulus(圆,环,圆圈)

1.circle的基本意思是“圆,圆周; 圈; 环状物”,是可数名词。
2.circle还用于指“…界”(多用复数),也可指具有共同利益或兴趣的人形成的“圈子”(多用单数)。作此解时，circle前一般不用冠词。
3.circle也可指剧院、电影院、音乐厅等之内的半圆形“楼座”。
4.circle还可指“周期,循环”。

all round the circle
绕圈子(说话) not directly (speaking)
Say what you have to say plainly.Don't go all round the circle to get here.你该说的就直说吧,不用转弯抹角。

come full circle
兜了一圈,回到原处,恢复原状 return to the starting point
Twenty years later his son made the same choice and the wheel came full circle.20年后,他的儿子作出了同样的选择,所有一切又转回到原来的地方。
Modern society may have come full circle:if oil becomes scarce we may have to return to earlier forms of heating and travel.现代社会也许恢复原状了:如果石油变得稀少,我们可能又回到从前取暖和旅行的方式了。

dress circle
第一层楼厅的前排座位 balcony above the stalls in a cinema or theatre
For an anniversary present Stuart took me to the opera and we had seats in the dress circle.作为一种周年纪念礼物,斯图尔特带我去听歌剧,我们的座位就在第一层楼厅的前排。

go round in circles
1.在原地兜圈子 keep moving but make no progress
We've argued this point for nearly two hours and we're just going round in circles.我们为这一点辩论了近两个小时,但仍毫无进展。
2.忙得团团转 be very busy
My father always goes round in circles when he tries to show me how to do my homework.当父亲想教我怎样做家庭作业时,他总是忙得团团转。
No,I haven't finished that job yet—I seem to have spent the whole morning going round in circles, getting nowhere!不,这工作我还没有完成——我好像整整一上午忙得团团转,却毫无进展!

in a circle
围成圈 forming a circle
The children gather round in a circle.孩子们围成了一圈。
The children had a dance in a circle.孩子们围成一圈跳舞。
We've lost our way and I am sure we are wandering in a circle.We started from that old dead tree there and have come back to it.我们迷了路,我确信我们又兜回到了原处。我们从那棵老枯树那儿出发而现在又回到了原地。

run round in circles
〈口〉瞎忙 be very busy
I seem to have been running round in circles all day and yet I've got no progress to show for it.我似乎整天忙得团团转,但忙不出什么结果。
He seemed to be working hard, but was just running round in circles.他看起来工作很紧张,其实不过是在瞎忙一气。

She first drew a circle on the board.她首先在板上画了一个圆。
The house lay in a circle of trees.这房子坐落在树木环抱之中。
Listen to the four choices, and then draw a circle under the right one.听四个选择项,然后在正确的下面画一个圈。
She confined her activities in educational circles.她把她的各项活动都限制在教育圈内。
He is well-known in academic circles.他在学术界很有名。
He occupies a prominent position in the literary circles in the capital.他在首都文学界占有突出的地位。
He has a large circle of friends.他朋友多,交际广。
I was welcomed to the family circle.那一家人都欢迎我。
The reading circle had ceased its activities long ago.这个读书会早已停止了活动。
The novel has reached a wide circle of readers.这本小说已拥有广泛的读者群。
It is time to take a positive step to break the vicious circle.现在是采取积极步骤来打击这个犯罪团伙的时候了。
We've booked seats in the circle.我们预订了楼厅包厢的座位。
Are we going to sit in the circle or in the stalls?我们是坐楼座还是正厅前排的座位?
It's January １st, the year has come full circle.今天是元旦,一年又周而复始。
There is a vicious circle going on—prosperity, surplus, depression.繁荣——过剩——萧条,一个恶性循环正在进行。
He drinks to forget his problems, which center on being in debt, but the money he spends on drink only gets him deeper in debt, and so on—it's a vicious circle.为了忘却烦恼他喝酒,而烦恼的中心又是欠债,但他喝酒花费的钱只能使他负债更多,如此下去——那真是恶性循环。

circle, band, crowd, gang, group, herd, host, mass, mob, multitude, set
参见band条。
circle, globe
这两个词的共同意思是“圆”。其区别在于:
1.globe指圆球状实心体,如天体、地球仪、眼球等,尤其常用来指世界、地球; circle指圆等环状物体,如戒指、王冠、光环等。例如:
The astronauts in an earth space station circle the globe many times a day.地球太空站里的宇航员每天要绕地球转许多圈。
Can you describe a circle within a square?你能在正方形里做一圆圈吗?
2.circle还可引申指“…圈子”或“…界”。例如:
This discovery is highly appreciated in the circle of science.这个发现在科学界得到很高的评价。

这位青年作家在文学界很活跃。
［误］  The young writer is quite active in literary circle.
［正］  The young writer is quite active in literary circles.
［析］  circle作“…界”解时,习惯用复数形式。