Meaning

3 senses

  1. (idiomatic, intransitive)To return to a previous location or state; to come back to.

    I have to circle back to the office to pick up a few things.

  2. (idiomatic, intransitive)To return to a previous topic of discussion; to bring up again.

    We're out of time right now, but we can circle back on this tomorrow.

  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see circle, back.

Examples

3 sentences

  1. Let's circle back.

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  2. Maybe we can circle back.

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  3. The condor never circled back a second time.

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Origin

Alluding to physically making a circle to order to return to one's starting point (as in s

Alluding to physically making a circle to order to return to one's starting point (as in sense 3).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

circles back, circling back, circled back, circled back
Base formcircle back · to circle back
3rd person singularcircles back
Present participlecircling back
Past simplecircled back
Past participlecircled back

irregular

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theycircle back
he, she, itcircles back

Past simpleLesson

all personscircled back

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave circled back
he, she, ithas circled back

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill circle back

Phrasal verbs

4 phrasal verbs

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
ciphercircadiancircleA1circuitB2circuitryB2circularB1
circle back — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto