Meaning of circulate in English
Verb
circulateEtymology
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 centuryDefinitions
1. become widely known and passed onExamples
- « the rumor spread »
- « the story went around in the office »
- 2. cause to become widely known
Examples
- « spread information »
- « circulate a rumor »
- « broadcast the news »
- 3. cause to be distributed
Examples
- « This letter is circulating among the faculty »
- 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 »
- 5. move in circles
- 6. cause to move in a circuit or system
Examples
- « The fan circulates the air in the room »
- 7. move around freely
Examples
- « She circulates among royalty »
- 8. cause to move around
Examples
- « circulate a rumor »