Circa Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms circa American [sur-kuh] / ˈsɜr kə /

preposition

1. about: used especially in approximate dates: ca, ca., c., c, cir., circ.

   The Venerable Bede was born circa 673.

circa British / ˈsɜːkə /

preposition

1. Abbreviation: c.. ca.. (used with a date) at the approximate time of

   circa 1182 bc.

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of circa

First recorded in 1860–65; from Latin: “around, about,” akin to circus circus

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“What happened at Circa LA Apartments is despicable. And we have zero tolerance for street takeovers.”

From Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles police responded to a call about a large street takeover near the Circa LA Apartments at 3:12 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times

My first laptop, circa 2000, was the iBook G3.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was beyond disconcerting to hear the Iranian foreign minister on Sunday sounding like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky circa 2022.

From Los Angeles Times

Elizabeth Arnott presents us with three L.A. women who have lived through the last scenario in “The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives,” an empathetic and at times bracing mystery tale about unlikely crime solvers circa 1966.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.