circulation

noun

cir·cu·la·tion | \ ˌsər-kyə-ˈlā-shən

Definition of circulation

1 : orderly movement through a circuit especially : the movement of blood through the vessels of the body induced by the pumping action of the heart

2 : flow

3a : passage or transmission from person to person or place to place especially : the interchange of currency coins in circulation

b : the extent of dissemination: such as

(1) : the average number of copies of a publication sold over a given period

(2) : the total number of items borrowed from a library

Examples of circulation in a Sentence

He has bad circulation in his legs. The drug improves blood circulation. The attic has poor air circulation. the circulation of ocean waters Let's open the windows to get some circulation in here. This memo is not meant for circulation. The coins have recently entered circulation.

Recent Examples on the Web

For the uninitiated, Merlan’s book is a riveting tour through the tangles of some of the most prominent conspiracy theories in circulation today. — J.c. Pan, The New Republic, "Democratic Rot and the Origins of American Conspiracism," 3 July 2019 The value of all cryptocurrency in circulation has risen to a 2019 record of $370 billion. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Bitcoin soars past $12,500 five days after hitting $10,000," 26 June 2019 At the moment, reducing the bikes allowed in circulation has no effect. — Seattle Times Staff, The Seattle Times, "‘How hard can the test be?’: The best comments this week on seattletimes.com," 21 June 2019 It was soon revived by Fantasy Records, primarily as a means of keeping older material in circulation. — Brody Kenny, Billboard, "How Stax Got Its Groove Back: A 'Soul Explosion' 50th Anniversary Reissue and Retrospective," 12 June 2019 Overall, seven of 14 branches saw at least a 1 percent increase in circulation. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "What’s changed since St. Paul ended library late fees? Usage bolstered while overdue rate holds steady — so far," 9 June 2019 The human factor The fight to keep the Icelandic language in circulation should not be confused with isolationism. — Caitlin Hu, Quartz, "Iceland is inventing a new vocabulary for a high-tech future," 2 June 2019 In the event that the DMV program is abandoned, any of the Reviver Auto plates still in circulation will be grandfathered in permanently. — Gary Gastelu, Fox News, "Digital license plates that change displays and track your car being tested in California," 29 May 2018 Since her appearance in Houston, Warren published an op-ed further detailing her maternal mortality plan in Essence, the country’s only magazine for black women with a circulation of more than 1 million. — Errin Haines Whack, The Seattle Times, "Warren building unlikely connection with black female voters," 19 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'circulation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

6 Jul 2019

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The first known use of circulation was in 1535

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More Definitions for circulation

circulation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of circulation

: the movement of blood through the body that is caused by the pumping action of the heart

: movement of air, water, etc., through the different parts of something

: the act of passing something (such as money, information, etc.) from person to person or place to place : the state of being passed from person to person or place to place

See the full definition for circulation in the English Language Learners Dictionary

circulation

noun

cir·cu·la·tion | \ ˌsər-kyə-ˈlā-shən

Kids Definition of circulation

1 : movement through something A fan will improve the circulation of air in the room.

2 : passage from place to place or person to person coins in circulation

3 : the average number of copies (as of a newspaper) sold in a given period

circulation

noun

cir·cu·la·tion | \ ˌsər-kyə-ˈlā-shən

Medical Definition of circulation

: the movement of blood through the vessels of the body that is induced by the pumping action of the heart and serves to distribute nutrients and oxygen to and remove waste products from all parts of the body — see pulmonary circulation, systemic circulation