Meaning & use
circles of friends
Last updated
Meanings
phraseplural
The groups of people someone knows and spends time with, especially friends who know each other.
Grammar: Always plural in this form; use a singular phrase like "a circle of friends" for one group.
Patterns
- have circles of friends
- keep circles of friends
- circles of friends from school
- different circles of friends
She has circles of friends from school, work, and her running club.
Moving to a new city made him realize how much he relied on his circles of friends.
His circles of friends rarely meet each other, so his weekends are always busy.
phraseplural
Groups of friends that are separate from each other and do not usually mix.
Grammar: Often used with words like different, separate, or various to stress that the groups are distinct.
Patterns
- different circles of friends
- separate circles of friends
- overlap between circles of friends
He keeps his work friends and his childhood circles of friends completely separate.
At the wedding, her different circles of friends met for the first time.
There is very little overlap between my two circles of friends.
Common combinations
- a wide circle of friends
- She has a wide circle of friends in many countries.
- a close circle of friends
- Only a close circle of friends knew about the engagement.
- a circle of friends
- He joined a circle of friends who play chess every Friday.
- keep a circle of friends
- It takes effort to keep a circle of friends as you get older.
- move in different circles
- They went to the same school but now move in different circles.
Synonyms and how they differ
- social circle
- Very close in meaning, but it can include colleagues and acquaintances, not only friends.
- network
- Focuses on useful contacts rather than emotional friendship, so it sounds more professional.
- friend group
- More informal and usually refers to one specific group rather than several.
Word family
- circle noun
- A group of people who share an interest or activity.
- friend noun
- A person you know well and like.
- friendship noun
- The relationship between friends.
Commonly confused: circles of friends or circle of friends?
circles of friends vs circle of friends
The singular form means one group; the plural form means more than one group, or friends in general.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Circles of friends" is plural, so it fits "has circles of friends." Option A mixes "a" with a plural noun, option C drops the article with a singular noun, and option D keeps "friend" singular after "of."
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “circles of friends”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.