circulate

verb

cir·cu·late ˈsər-kyə-ˌlāt

circulated; circulating

Synonyms of circulate next

intransitive verb

: to move in a circle, circuit, or orbit

especially : to follow a course that returns to the starting point

blood circulates through the body

: to pass from person to person or place to place: such as

: to flow without obstruction

: to become well-known or widespread

rumors circulated through the town

: to go from group to group at a social gathering

: to come into the hands of readers

specifically : to become sold or distributed

transitive verb

: to cause to circulate

circulatable

ˈsər-kyə-ˌlā-tə-bəl

adjective

circulative

ˈsər-kyə-ˌlā-tiv

adjective

circulator

ˈsər-kyə-ˌlā-tər

noun

Examples of circulate in a Sentence

Blood circulates through the body. Steam circulates in the pipes. A pump circulates the water through the filter. Rumors are circulating around town. The report circulated among the students. Stories were circulated about mismanagement. He is circulating a petition asking for a new election. She circulated among her guests. See More

Recent Examples on the Web As thousands of people were stranded at the festival grounds, erroneous reports began circulating of a connection to Ebola. —

Isabella Fertel, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2023 Most widely circulating omicron variants feature a small handful of mutations that make each one slightly different from the last. —

Staff Reports, ajc, 8 Sep. 2023 In a clip of the incident circulating on social media, a man called out Barrymore’s name, visibly startling her, and identified himself as Busto. —

Chloe Melas, NBC News, 6 Sep. 2023 Last month, Moderna also said the vaccine boosted antibodies to the widely circulating EG.5 and FL.1.5.1 variants. —

BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2023 But then Jonas appeared with his ring on Sunday night in Texas soon after the divorce reports circulated. —

Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 4 Sep. 2023 Very recently, a video circulated on TikTok that showed Reinhart with a serious expression on her face after hugging the Euphoria star at an Armani Beauty event and viewers invented an entire narrative about it. —

Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2023 Tuesday marks the official start of Illinois’ 2024 campaign season, the opening day for Democratic and Republican candidates for offices from Congress down to various county and party posts to begin circulating petitions to appear on the March 19 primary ballot. —

Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2023 Large fans circulating overhead helped dissipate smoke and smells, though the distinct aroma of weed hung in the air. —

Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 1 Sep. 2023 See More

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