full circle

UK/ˌfʊl ˈsɜː.kəl/

full circle noun: used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see full, circle.

Noun

full circle (plural full circles)

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see full, circle.

Synonyms:

perigon
An arc of 360 degrees.
- Arcs are measured in degrees, with 360° in the full circle.2007, Carolyn C. Wheater, Geometry, page 193
A full turn back to the original direction or orientation. a point arrived at which is the same point at which it began;
- He cackled confidentially, like he knew more than he was telling, then threw his head back and crowed once and strutted in a full circle like a rumpled old rooster.2006, Jack Dawson, Reflections in a Curved Glass, page 31
1. By extension, when a debate or discussion comes "full circle" when the participants end up going over points already discussed, even though no literal change of orientation is involved. The point at which effort has resulted in no progress.

full circle (not comparable)

Through a rotation or revolution that ends at the starting point.
- Thus, patterns whose parts move about a point axis are called finite, because eventually the parts will move full circle to superimpose upon the original starting point […]1983, Dorothy Koster Washburn, Structure and Cognition in Art, page 138
- Little has been heard lately of Gwynedd Council's campaign for the line to be upgraded for freight use, enabling it to haul slate waste from Blaenau Ffestiniog for export to Europe. [...] It would mean things have gone full circle, for the line's original purpose was transporting slate from...2020 August 26, Andrew Mourant, “Reinforced against future flooding”, in Rail, page 58
(idiomatic) Through a cycle of transition, returning to where one started after gaining experience or exploring other things.
- Now the wheel is turning back full circle.1963 August, “New 5,000 H.P.-Plus Diesels for U.S. Railroads”, in Modern Railways, page 127
- He'd begin with a premise and wrap it up at the end, full circle, the moral of the story hanging on the last word of the last line.2001, Peter M. Coan, Taxi: The Harry Chapin Story, page 139

முழுவலயம்

plural	full circles

What does full circle mean?: Full circle means used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see full, circle.
What is full circle in Tamil?: Full circle in Tamil is முழுவலயம். See Full circle meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is full circle?: Full circle can be a noun or an adverb.
How do you pronounce full circle?: Full circle is pronounced /ˌfʊl ˈsɜː.kəl/ (UK).
What is the plural of full circle?: The plural of full circle is full circles.

Adapted from Wiktionary: full circle (page history and authors); full circle (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-full circle.ogg.

Cite this entry: “full circle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/full_circle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.