a regular pattern of events 循环◆a vicious (= very bad) cycle of reduced spending, lower production and unemployment 开支减少、生产下降和失业的恶性循环◆Fashions tend to go in cycles. 时装往往周而复始。◆breaking the cycle of five working days and two leisure days 打破五个工作日和两个休息日的循环
a pattern that an economy, an industry, a market, etc. tends to follow, with periods of success and periods of difficulty happening regularly one after another （经济、行业、市场等的）周期，循环◆The market is at the bottom of the cycle and should start improving soon. 市场正处於周期的底部，应该很快开始复苏。◆The IT industry has been through many boom-and-bust cycles. 信息技术产业经历过许多繁荣 ── 萧条的循环。
a single period of success, failure, etc. that forms part of a regular series （由成功、失败等构成的）周期◆The economy appears to be moving into a down cycle. 经济似乎正在进入下降周期。◆a growth cycle 增长周期
a regular period of time during which sb/sth completes a particular activity （完成某项活动的）周期◆We are trying to shorten our product-development cycle. 我们正在设法缩短产品的开发周期。◆We tend to work in 12-month cycles. 我们倾向於以 12 个月的周期工作。
accounting cycle billing cycle business cycle economic cycle family life cycle Kondratieff cycle life cycle product life cycle trade cycle