What does "cycle" mean?
An interval of space or time in which one set of events or phenomena is completed.
Cycle
/ˈsaɪ.kəl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An interval of space or time in which one set of events or phenomena is completed.
- Grammar: cycle is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: bicycle, bike, rhythm, absorption current.
- Useful contrasts: car, cease, death.
- Usage evidence: We can clearly see the cycle of the seasons in Canada.
How to use "cycle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cycle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cycle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cycle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cycle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cycle" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bicycle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cycle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An interval of space or time in which one set of events or phenomena is completed.
"the cycle of the seasons, or of the year"
- 2 A pedal-powered vehicle, such as a unicycle, bicycle, or tricycle, or a motorized vehicle that has either two or three wheels.
- 3 a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals wordnet
- 4 A complete rotation of anything.
- 5 A pedal-powered vehicle, such as a unicycle, bicycle, or tricycle, or a motorized vehicle that has either two or three wheels.; A bicycle. specifically, usually
Show 20 more definitions
- 6 a single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon wordnet
- 7 A process that returns to its beginning and then repeats itself in the same sequence.
"electoral cycle menstrual cycle news cycle"
- 8 a periodically repeated sequence of events wordnet
- 9 The members of the sequence formed by such a process.
- 10 a series of poems or songs on the same theme wordnet
- 11 A series of poems, songs or other works of art, typically longer than a trilogy.
"The Ring of the Nibelung is a cycle of four operas by Richard Wagner."
- 12 the unit of frequency; one hertz has a periodic interval of one second (named for Heinrich Rudolph Hertz) wordnet
- 13 A programme on a washing machine, dishwasher, or other such device.
"Put the washing in on a warm cycle."
- 14 an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs wordnet
- 15 A single, a double, a triple, and a home run hit by the same player in the same game.
"Jones hit for the cycle in the game."
- 16 A closed walk or path, with or without repeated vertices allowed.
- 17 A chain whose boundary is zero.
- 18 An imaginary circle or orbit in the heavens; one of the celestial spheres.
"With centric and eccentric scribbled o'er, Cycle and epicycle, orb in orb"
- 19 An age; a long period of time.
"Thro' the shadow of the world we sweep into the younger day: / Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay."
- 20 An orderly list for a given time; a calendar.
"[H]ere we endeavour to preſent our Gard'ners with a compleat Cycle of what is requiſite to be done throughout every Moneth of the Year: […]"
- 21 One entire round in a circle or a spire.
"a cycle or set of leaves"
- 22 A discharge of a taser.
"Officers have made the mistake of applying many Taser cycles, expecting the suspect to relent."
- 23 One take-off and landing of an aircraft, referring to a pressurisation cycle which places stresses on the fuselage.
- 24 A scheduled period of time of weeks or months wherein a performance-enhancing substance or, by extension, supplement is applied, to be followed by another one where it is not or the dosage is lower.
"The deterioration of his physique may be a result of his being off cycle."
- 25 A hertz; cycle per second. plural, usually
"[…] the Plan incorporates in proper combination every available modern technique, including extensive electrification on the new standard high-voltage a.c. system at a frequency of 50 cycles; main-line diesel traction as a half-way house to electrification; lightweight diesel trains for secondary and branch services; and a smaller wagon fleet doing more work by the use of continuous brakes in conjunction with modernised terminals and marshalling yards."
Verb
- 1 To go through a cycle or to put through a cycle.
"When my wife and I heard a plaintive whinny from our laundry room the other day, we knew that our old dryer had cycled its last load."
- 2 To ride a bicycle or other cycle.
"Sometimes I would cycle over to Beckenham to watch the boat trains and Kent Coast expresses of the London, Chatham & Dover Railway, which seemed very superior to its future partner."
- 3 recur in repeating sequences wordnet
- 4 To turn power off and back on
"Avoid cycling the device unnecessarily."
- 5 ride a bicycle wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To maintain a team's possession of the puck in the offensive zone by handling and passing the puck in a loop from the boards near the goal up the side boards and passing to back to the boards near the goal
"They have their cycling game going tonight."
- 7 ride a motorcycle wordnet
- 8 pass through a cycle wordnet
- 9 cause to go through a recurring sequence wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"We can clearly see the cycle of the seasons in Canada."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cycle"?
Common synonyms include: bicycle, bike, rhythm, absorption current, ac, acting turn.
How do you use "cycle" in a sentence?
We can clearly see the cycle of the seasons in Canada.
How do you pronounce "cycle"?
Pronounced /ˈsaɪ.kəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English cicle (“fixed length period of years”), from Late Latin cyclus, from Ancient Greek κύκλος (kúklos, “circle”), from Proto-Hellenic *kúklos, *kʷókʷlos, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos (“circle, wheel”). Doublet of chakra, chakram, charkha, chukker, cyclus, kike, and wheel (see there for more).
Etymology 2
From -cycle (in bicycle, monocycle, and tricycle), perhaps associated with etymology 1. Compare French cycle in the same sense. The verb is either from the noun or a clipping of bicycle (verb).