Library / English Dictionary

CYCLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals

Synonyms:

bicycle; bike; cycle; wheel

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("cycle" is a kind of...):

wheeled vehicle (a vehicle that moves on wheels and usually has a container for transporting things or people)

Meronyms (parts of "cycle"):

kickstand (a swiveling metal rod attached to a bicycle or motorcycle or other two-wheeled vehicle; the rod lies horizontally when not in use but can be kicked into a vertical position as a support to hold the vehicle upright when it is not being ridden)

handlebar (the shaped bar used to steer a bicycle)

mudguard; splash-guard; splash guard (a curved piece above the wheel of a bicycle or motorcycle to protect the rider from water or mud thrown up by the wheels)

coaster brake (a brake on a bicycle that engages with reverse pressure on the pedals)

foot lever; foot pedal; pedal; treadle (a lever that is operated with the foot)

chain (a series of (usually metal) rings or links fitted into one another to make a flexible ligament)

bicycle wheel (the wheel of a bicycle)

sprocket; sprocket wheel (thin wheel with teeth that engage with a chain)

bicycle seat; saddle (a seat for the rider of a bicycle)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cycle"):

bicycle-built-for-two; tandem; tandem bicycle (a bicycle with two sets of pedals and two seats)

all-terrain bike; mountain bike; off-roader (a bicycle with a sturdy frame and fat tires; originally designed for riding in mountainous country)

ordinary; ordinary bicycle (an early bicycle with a very large front wheel and small back wheel)

push-bike (a bicycle that must be pedaled)

safety bicycle; safety bike (bicycle that has two wheels of equal size; pedals are connected to the rear wheel by a multiplying gear)

velocipede (any of several early bicycles with pedals on the front wheel)

Derivation:

cyclist (a person who rides a bicycle)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon

Example:

a year constitutes a cycle of the seasons

Synonyms:

cycle; oscillation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("cycle" is a kind of...):

periodic event; recurrent event (an event that recurs at intervals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cycle"):

menstrual cycle (a recurring cycle (beginning at menarche and ending at menopause) in which the endometrial lining of the uterus prepares for pregnancy; if pregnancy does not occur the lining is shed at menstruation)

pass (one complete cycle of operations (as by a computer))

Carnot's ideal cycle; Carnot cycle (a cycle (of expansion and compression) of an idealized reversible heat engine that does work without loss of heat)

cardiac cycle (the complete cycle of events in the heart from the beginning of one heart beat to the beginning of the next; an electrical impulse conducted through the heart muscle that constricts the atria which is followed by constriction of the ventricles)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A periodically repeated sequence of events

Example:

a cycle of reprisal and retaliation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("cycle" is a kind of...):

repeat; repetition (an event that repeats)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cycle"):

merry-go-round (a never-ending cycle of activities and events (especially when they seem to have little purpose))

samsara ((Hinduism and Buddhism) the endless cycle of birth and suffering and death and rebirth)

Derivation:

cycle (recur in repeating sequences)

cycle (pass through a cycle)

cycle (cause to go through a recurring sequence)

cyclic (recurring in cycles)

cyclic (marked by repeated cycles)

cyclical (recurring in cycles)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A series of poems or songs on the same theme

Example:

Schubert's song cycles

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("cycle" is a kind of...):

series (similar things placed in order or happening one after another)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The unit of frequency; one hertz has a periodic interval of one second (named for Heinrich Rudolph Hertz)

Synonyms:

cps; cycle; cycle per second; cycles/second; hertz; Hz

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("cycle" is a kind of...):

rate (a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit)

Holonyms ("cycle" is a part of...):

kc; kHz; kilocycle; kilocycle per second; kilohertz (one thousand periods per second)

Sense 6

Meaning:

An interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs

Example:

the never-ending cycle of the seasons

Synonyms:

cycle; rhythm; round

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("cycle" is a kind of...):

interval; time interval (a definite length of time marked off by two instants)

Meronyms (parts of "cycle"):

phase; phase angle (a particular point in the time of a cycle; measured from some arbitrary zero and expressed as an angle)

Derivation:

cyclic (recurring in cycles)

cycle (cause to go through a recurring sequence)

cycle (pass through a cycle)

cycle (recur in repeating sequences)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Recur in repeating sequences

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "cycle" is one way to...):

recur; repeat (happen or occur again)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

cycle (a periodically repeated sequence of events)

cycle (an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Ride a bicycle

Synonyms:

bicycle; bike; cycle; pedal; wheel

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "cycle" is one way to...):

ride (be carried or travel on or in a vehicle)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cycle"):

unicycle (ride a unicycle)

backpedal (pedal backwards on a bicycle)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

cycling (the sport of traveling on a bicycle or motorcycle)

cyclist (a person who rides a bicycle)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Ride a motorcycle

Synonyms:

cycle; motorbike; motorcycle

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "cycle" is one way to...):

ride (be carried or travel on or in a vehicle)

"Cycle" entails doing...:

kick (strike with the foot)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

cycling (the sport of traveling on a bicycle or motorcycle)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Pass through a cycle

Example:

This machine automatically cycles

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "cycle" is one way to...):

pass (go across or through)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cycle"):

cycle on (come to the starting point of a cycle)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

cycle (a periodically repeated sequence of events)

cycle (an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Cause to go through a recurring sequence

Example:

cycle the laundry in this washing program

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "cycle" is one way to...):

make pass; pass (cause to pass)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cycle"):

recycle (cause to repeat a cycle)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

cycle (a periodically repeated sequence of events)

cycle (an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs)

Credits

 Context examples: 

This allele, which encodes MASL1 protein, may play a role in cell cycle regulation and oncogenesis.

(MFHAS1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

The natural oceanic cycles of phosphorus and nitrogen are also at risk.

(Oceans running out of oxygen at unprecedented rate, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

In addition, this agent has induced apoptosis in mouse thymocytes and inhibits the G2/M phase of the cell cycle.

(Methyl 2,5-dihydroxycinnamate, NCI Thesaurus)

Consult your health care provider if you have big changes in your cycle.

(Menstruation, NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

One of the reasons Earth has remained habitable is that this chemical cycle is slightly imbalanced, Hemingway says.

(Carbon hides in sediment, keeping oxygen in atmosphere, National Science Foundation)

In the colder periods, nitrogen dominated the atmosphere, raining down and cycling through the icy crust to collect in pools just below the surface.

(New Models Suggest Titan Lakes Are Explosion Craters, NASA)

REM is one of several sleep stages the body cycles through every night.

(The brain may actively forget during dream sleep, National Institutes of Health)

A research project that is in an active grant funding cycle.

(Active Funded Research Project, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein plays a role in protein phosphorylation, signal transduction, cell cycle regulation and apoptosis.

(Activin Receptor Type-1B, NCI Thesaurus)

Because the arabinose sugar sterically hinders the rotation of the molecule within DNA, DNA replication ceases, specifically during the S phase of the cell cycle.

(Ancitabine, NCI Thesaurus)