1
as in surrounded
to form a circle around
everyone circled the lectern and waited their turn to read from the Bible
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in orbited
to travel completely around
with a look of extreme frustration, the commander circled the new recruit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of circled
Republicans circled back on the two-pronged plan to fund immigration agencies through reconciliation and the rest of DHS through the traditional appropriations process.
—
Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
The Orion spacecraft’s service module lacks the ability to reach a low-lunar orbit—Apollo missions circled the Moon at altitudes of below 70 miles (110 km)—and then safely return to Earth.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2026
Soldiers and police were at key intersections while helicopters circled overhead.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Onboard anti-collision alarms sounded in both cockpits and both planes circled the airport before making safe landings.
—Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
The Apollo 8 photo, however, showed Earth re-emerging into view, rather than disappearing, as astronauts Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell circled the moon.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026
However, police circled back to Griffith after some of his ex-girlfriends and friends reported suspicious behavior.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
But doing things the easy way has been unbecoming of the Ducks, who fell behind by two goals, circled the wagons to force overtime but then stumbled in the bonus session, 4-3, off Marco Rossi’s OT winner.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
The Orion spacecraft’s service module lacks the ability to reach a low-lunar orbit—Apollo missions circled the Moon at altitudes of below 70 miles (110 km)—and then safely return to Earth.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2026
Soldiers and police were at key intersections while helicopters circled overhead.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Onboard anti-collision alarms sounded in both cockpits and both planes circled the airport before making safe landings.
—Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
The Apollo 8 photo, however, showed Earth re-emerging into view, rather than disappearing, as astronauts Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell circled the moon.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026
However, police circled back to Griffith after some of his ex-girlfriends and friends reported suspicious behavior.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 Apr. 2026
But doing things the easy way has been unbecoming of the Ducks, who fell behind by two goals, circled the wagons to force overtime but then stumbled in the bonus session, 4-3, off Marco Rossi’s OT winner.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circled
Verb
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He was surrounded by numerous family and Braves alumni during the ceremony, which was relocated from the field to the Milner Technology Conference Center due to rain.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
26 Apr. 2026
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The department said on X that the incident occurred early Saturday when LAPD officers were trying to clear debris from the road and were surrounded by protesters.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This referred to the fact that the Cyg X-1 jets seemed to be getting deflected in different directions as the star and black hole orbited each other.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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Every element had been carefully considered, Tabitha noted, the suave austerity of the Wassily chairs orbited by antique rugs and estate-sale paintings.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The country's National News Agency reported airstrikes and artillery shelling throughout southern Lebanon on Wednesday, including near Bint Jbeil, where Israeli forces have encircled Hezbollah fighters.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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The country’s National News Agency reported airstrikes and artillery shelling throughout southern Lebanon on Wednesday, include near Bint Jbeil, where Israeli forces have encircled fighters with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.—
Samy Magdy,
Fortune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Once traversed by Genghis Khan, this is a focal point of Scythian-Turkic culture, whose arid slopes somehow sustain nomadic life that demands constant attentiveness to the environment.—
Rob Crossan,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Apr. 2026
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But hardly any ships have traversed the strait since the war began in late February.—
Justin Fishel,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Soon the farm itself will be ringed by data centers and infrastructure.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
28 Apr. 2026
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The arch, which would be ringed with protective bollards, includes an elevator-accessible observation deck.—
Arden Farhi,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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McFarlane’s career crossed paths with other current Chelsea figures before his arrival at Cobham.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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The two first crossed paths in 2001, when Rich Boy was Maurice Richards, a soon-to-be dropout at Tuskegee University, studying mechanical engineering.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Who else made Florida’s list Nationwide, Dairy Queen and McDonald’s rounded out the top three, respectively.—
Kari Barnett,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Chargers rounded out the draft by selecting a pair of guards in the sixth round, Logan Taylor of Boston College and Alex Harkey of Oregon.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circled. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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