noun
circumference
sur-KUM-fer-uhns/sərˈkʌmfərəns/
The distance around a circle or rounded object.
The measuring tape follows the disk's edge to measure its circumference.
Etymology
“Carrying around” became a name for the line bounding a circle. The selected meaning is the length of that enclosing line—the distance all the way around.
In context
the distance it traveled in a single orbit so one time around okay what is the distance it traveled one time around the Sun okay well would you want the circumference of that circle
More examples
- The wheel's circumference determines how far it travels in one turn.
- Measure the tree trunk's circumference at this height.
- The two circles have different circumferences.
Forms
circumference · circumferences
Similar words
- diameter
- Diameter runs across a circle through its center; circumference runs around its boundary.