noun

cycle

SEYE-kuhl

noun

A series of events that repeats itself in the same order.

"The economy moves through cycles of growth and recession."

"The washing machine has a quick-wash cycle for lightly soiled clothes."

A pedal-powered vehicle such as a bicycle, tricycle, or unicycle.

"He rode his cycle to work every morning."

verb

To ride a bicycle or similar vehicle.

"They cycle along the coast every weekend."

To go through a repeating series of stages, or to turn a device off and back on.

"The router needs to be power-cycled to fix the connection issue."

How to Use Cycle

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA repeating sequence of events (like the seasons or a washing-machine program), or, informally, a bicycle.

UK vs US

In British English "cycle" is a common everyday word for "bicycle"; American English more often just says "bike."

Common pairings

life cycle wash cycle vicious cycle ride a cycle

Word Forms

cycled past tense, cycled past tense, cycles plural, cycles plural, cycles singular, cycles singular

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Can you complete this real example?

The economy moves through _____ of growth and recession.

Etymology

From Late Latin cyclus, from Ancient Greek kuklos ("circle"), from a very old Indo-European word for "wheel" — the same root that ultimately gives us "wheel" itself.

Rhymes for cycle

bicycle recycle unicycle tricycle motorcycle

See all rhymes for cycle →