recirculate

verb

re·​cir·​cu·​late (ˌ)rē-ˈsər-kyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce recirculate (audio)
recirculated; recirculating; recirculates

transitive + intransitive

1
: to circulate or cause to circulate again
According to the organization, between two and four times more money recirculates in the local community when people shop at small businesses.Christina Hepner
The system will recirculate 99 percent of the water that enters the tanks …Nick McCrea
2
: to circulate continuously
Along a slope, a peaceful water feature surrounded by rocks offers the tranquil sounds of water recirculating between two ponds.Kelli Adanick
He uses an American Hydroponics system that recirculates water and nutrients through the plants' root systems, allowing them to grow without soil.Alana Melanson

Examples of recirculate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That political weakness has been accentuated by occasional trips, falls and verbal stumbles that are recirculated on social media with far more velocity than any triumphant clips from his speeches. Nicholas Nehamas, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 After quotes from a 2023 interview with City AM recirculated and seemed to show the JFK filmmaker antagonizing Greta Gerwig’s movie, Stone wrote a post on social media to set the record straight. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2024 In the days leading up to the film’s world premiere in London on Thursday, rumors began recirculating online that Taylor-Joy would play a role in the film led by Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024 The psychiatrist appears to not exist, but the claim was featured on an Iranian TV show, and was recirculated on Arabic, English and Indonesian media sites and spread by users on TikTok, Reddit and Instagram. Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2023 This comparison, picked up and recirculated by world leaders, including President Biden, serves to bolster Israel’s case for inflicting collective punishment on the residents of Gaza. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2023 Recommended Humility In the 10 best books of November, humility changes lives More recently, soon after United States Rep. Mike Johnson ascended to House speaker, a 2022 interview with the Louisiana congressman recirculated. Leanne Italie, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Nov. 2023 Most ductless fans that recirculate air back into your kitchen have a filter of some kind. Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Nov. 2023 According to the McKinsey Fashion on Climate report, recirculating just one in five items would help put fashion on track to achieve the 1.5-degree pathway laid out by the Paris Climate Accord. Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recirculate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of recirculate was in 1716

Dictionary Entries Near recirculate

Cite this Entry

“Recirculate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recirculate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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