cycle
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a series of events that happen again and again in the same order.
n.a sequence of phenomena or events that recur regularly and lead back to a starting point.
Simple“In school, we learned about the water cycle and how rain falls and evaporates.”
In context“The economic cycle typically involves periods of rapid growth followed by a slowdown or recession before the pattern repeats.”
- 02 A2 Elementary
n.a vehicle with wheels that you move by pushing pedals with your feet.
n.a pedal-powered vehicle, such as a bicycle or tricycle, or occasionally a motorized two-wheeled vehicle.
Simple“He decided to go for a long cycle through the park on Sunday morning.”
In context“The city council invested in new infrastructure to encourage residents to use their cycles for the daily commute instead of driving.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.one complete program on a machine, like a washing machine or dishwasher.
n.a single complete operation or set of operations performed by a mechanical device.
Simple“The washing machine is on its final spin cycle now.”
In context“To protect the delicate silk blouses, she selected the gentle cycle and used a specialized detergent.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a group of songs, poems, or stories that are connected to each other.
n.a series of related artistic, literary, or musical works intended to be performed or read as a sequence.
Simple“The singer performed a famous cycle of songs about lost love.”
In context“The poet spent a decade composing a sonnet cycle that explored the shifting landscape of the industrial north.”
Synonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
n.one complete flight including takeoff and landing.
n.a single takeoff and landing sequence that subjects an aircraft's fuselage to a pressurization and depressurization event.
Simple“The plane was retired after completing forty thousand cycles.”
In context“Maintenance schedules for short-haul aircraft are often determined by the number of flight cycles rather than total flight hours due to structural stress.”
Synonyms - 06 A2 Elementary
v.to travel somewhere using a bicycle.
v.to ride a bicycle or similar pedal-powered vehicle as a means of transport or exercise.
Simple“She cycles to work every day to stay fit and save money.”
In context“They planned to cycle across the European continent, stopping at small villages along the way to experience the local culture.”
- 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to move through a list or a series of options one by one.
v.to pass through a series of stages or to move through a set of items repeatedly.
Simple“You can cycle through the different camera modes by pressing this button.”
In context“The display screen cycles through various advertisements every thirty seconds to maximize exposure for the sponsors.”
- 08 C1 Advanced
v.to turn a machine off and then on again to fix a problem.
v.to turn an electronic device off and back on, typically to reset the system or clear an error.
Simple“If the router stops working, try to cycle the power.”
In context“The technician advised the user to power cycle the server to ensure the new configuration settings were properly applied.”
UsageOften used as 'power cycle'.
Usage break cycle · cycle begin
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).
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).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.