cycle Hear it!

cycle Definition

cy·cle (sī′kəl; for n.7 & vi.2, also sik′əl)

noun

  1. a recurring period of a definite number of years, used as a measure of time
  2. a period of time within which a round of regularly recurring events or phenomena is completed the business cycle
  3. a complete set of events or phenomena recurring in the same sequence
  4. a very long period of time; an age
  5. all of the traditional or legendary poems, songs, etc. connected with a hero or an event the Charlemagne cycle
  6. a series of poems or songs on the same theme
  7. a bicycle, tricycle, or motorcycle
  8. Astron., Archaic the orbit of a celestial body
  9. Biol. a recurring series of functional changes or events
  10. Elec. one complete period of the reversal of an alternating current from positive to negative and back again

Etymology: ME cicle < LL cyclus < Gr kyklos, a circle, cycle: see wheel

intransitive verb -·cled, -·cling

  1. to occur or recur in cycles; pass through a cycle
  2. to ride a bicycle, tricycle, or motorcycle

cycle Synonyms

cycle

n.

succession, revolution of time, period, round; see age 3, circle 2, sequence 1, series.

cycle Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • deprivation: Cycles of deprivation persist where the least educated are destined to have children who will also fail at school.

Converse of object

  • pedal: A solo motor cycle was added at a cost of £ 80, together with six more pedal cycles.
  • break: The education agenda is challenging, with schools working hard to break the cycle of urban deprivation.
  • shorten: These answers that can be used to make solid business decisions while reducing costs, increasing quality, and shortening development cycles.

Adjective modifier

  • menstrual: Doctors to regulate the menstrual cycle can manipulate these hormones.
  • vicious: The vicious cycle of compounding one's depression by having to deal with hair loss makes these drugs a thing worth trying to avoid.
  • lunar: A lunar month lasts 29.5 days. Many cycles are coordinated with the lunar month or with stages of the lunar cycle.
  • biogeochemical: This metabolism is a key component of the biogeochemical sulfur cycle.
  • glacial: Their present morphology was shaped principally during the last glacial cycle ( the Midlandian ), with subsequent modification throughout the post-glacial Holocene period.
  • solar: It experienced one-half of a solar cycle, as it was deployed during a solar minimum and retrieved at a solar maximum.

Modifies a noun

  • helmet: You may also wish to make sure that you have a cycle helmet.
  • lane: Take care not to obstruct access to or exit from a cycle lane.
  • path: There is a growing national network of cycle paths.
  • route: Signing & Getting lost: Signing for cycle routes in the UK is dreadful.
  • ride: They're ideal for fitness rides, cycle club rides or for having a go at races or time trials.
  • parking: Cycle parking in central reserve Cycle parking in central reserve, High Street, Kensington.

Noun used with modifier

  • motor: A solo motor cycle was added at a cost of £ 80, together with six more pedal cycles.
  • life: Car park nearby has display about life cycle of the salmon.
  • carbon: Can we make better use of the carbon cycle?
  • cell: This allows us to determine cell cycle phase at the time of irradiation.
cycle Quotes

He his fabric of the heavens Hath left to their disputes, perhaps to move His laughter at their quaint opinions wide Hereafter, when they come to model heaven And calculate the stars, how they will wield The mighty frame, how build, unbuild, contrive To save appearances, how gird the sphere With centric and eccentric scribbled o'er, Cycle and epicycle, orb in orb.

—Milton,John

On my tenth birthday a bicycle and an atlas coincided as presents and a few days later I decided to cycle to India.

—Murphy, Dervla

Life is a cycle, and mime is particularly suitable for showing fluidity, transformation, metamorphosis. Words can keep people apart; mime can be a bridge between them.

—Marceau, Marcel