Meaning of circulate in English

Table of contents

Verb
circulate
Etymology
late 15th century (as an alchemical term meaning ‘distill something in a closed container, allowing condensed vapor to return to the original liquid’): from Latin circulat-‘moved in a circular path’, from the verb circulare, from circulus‘small ring’ (see circle). circulate (sense 1) dates from the mid 17th century
Definitions
1. become widely known and passed on
Examples
- « the rumor spread »
- « the story went around in the office »
Derived terms
2. cause to become widely known
Examples
- « spread information »
- « circulate a rumor »
- « broadcast the news »
Derived terms
3. cause to be distributed
Examples
- « This letter is circulating among the faculty »
Derived terms
4. move through a space, circuit or system, returning to the starting point
Examples
- « Blood circulates in my veins »
- « The air here does not circulate »
Derived terms
- circulation
5. move in circles
Derived terms
6. cause to move in a circuit or system
Examples
- « The fan circulates the air in the room »
Derived terms
- circulation
7. move around freely
Examples
- « She circulates among royalty »
8. cause to move around
Examples
- « circulate a rumor »
Derived terms
- circulation

Famous quotes

« Knowledge is like money: to be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value. »
Louis L'Amour
« When we create out of our experiences, as feminists of color, women of color, we have to develop those structures that will present and circulate our culture. »
Audre Lorde
« To protect people's lives and keep our children safe, we must implement public-works spending and do so proudly. If possible, I'd like to see the Bank of Japan purchase all of the construction bonds that we need to issue to cover the cost. That would also forcefully circulate money in the market. That would be positive for the economy, too. »
Shinzo Abe