1
general::
verb move in a circle ADV. slowly The helicopter was circling slowly, very low. | overhead A buzzard was circling overhead. PREP. above Several airliners were circling above the airport. | around/round The vultures were already circling around the dead animal. draw a circle round sth PHRASES circle sth in black, red, etc. She circled her birthday in red on the calendar., noun shape ADJ. complete, full The stones form a complete circle. How long does it take for the dial to rotate through a full circle? | concentric | widening The water rippled in widening circles round the fountain. | overlapping a design of overlapping circles | tight He turned the car in a tight circle. | half | Antarctic, Arctic, polar VERB + CIRCLE draw | describe (technical), go around/round in If you follow the road signs you will simply find yourself going round in a circle. | form, make | cut out PREP. in a/the ~ The children stood in a circle. The planets move in circles round the sun. | ~ of PHRASES the area/circumference/diameter/radius of a circle, the centre/middle of a circle group of people ADJ. wide She has a wide circle of acquaintances. | narrow, small | charmed, close/closed, intimate, magic, select He invited only a select circle of friends to the wedding. | exalted, high | immediate They treat anyone outside their immediate circle with suspicion. | inner He's joined the inner circles of the court early in his career. | academic, aristocratic, artistic, business, court, diplomatic, government, intellectual, literary, official, political, royal, social, sporting, theatrical ~s She moves in the highest social circles. | family VERB + CIRCLE have | move in My brother and I move in completely different circles (= we have very different friends). | join | widen You need to widen your circle of friends. PREP. in a/the ~ Talk of religion was forbidden in the family circle. friends in government circles PHRASES a circle of acquaintances/admirers/friends in a theatre ADJ. dress, upper Our seats are in the front row of the dress circle.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
circle
phrases
a circle of friends
• Over the years she had established a circle of good friends.
a circle of acquaintances
(= a group of people that someone knows )
• She has a wide circle of acquaintances.
a circle of admirers
(= a group of people who admire someone )
• When she was young, Sophie had a large circle of male admirers.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + circle
academic/political/literary etc circles
• There has been a lot of debate about this issue in political circles.
a wide/large circle
• They now had a wide circle of acquaintances in the area.
a small/narrow circle
• Ken was the centre of a small circle of artists and writers.
sb’s inner circle
(= the people who influence someone the most )
• He was among the Prime Minister’s inner circle of advisers.
a social circle
• Dan and I didn’t mix in the same social circles.
the family circle
• It’s important for children to have friends outside the family circle.
sb’s immediate circle
(= your family and some close friends )
• We didn’t tell anyone what had happened outside our immediate circle.
a close circle
(= in which the people know each other very well )
• He cultivated a close circle of musical acquaintances.
a close-knit/intimate circle
(= a close one )
• His intimate circle was tiny.
a closed circle
(= not open to other people )
• He didn’t have much experience of life beyond the closed circle of his family.
a limited circle
• His writing was popular with a limited circle of enthusiasts.
verbs
have a circle of friends/acquaintances etc
• She was beautiful and had a wide circle of admirers.
move/mix in a circle
(= belong to a particular type of circle )
• At Harvard he moved in scientific circles.
be a member of a circle
• He was a powerful member of a circle of financiers.
widen your circle
(= make it include more people )
• In London she set about widening her circle.
build up/establish a circle
• Michael built up a wide circle of customers and friends worldwide.
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