Dictionary

circulate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈsɝ.kjʊˌleɪt/ (General-American)
• /ˈsɜː.kjʊˌleɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• sər'kyo͝o-lāt

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin circulātus, perfect passive participle of Late Latin circulō (“to make circular, encircle”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), a later collateral form of circulor (“form a circle (of men) around oneself”), from circulus (“a circle”). See also Middle English circulat(e) (“(alchemy) changed by continuous distillation in a closed vessel”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To move in circles or through a circuit.
2. (transitive) To cause (a person or thing) to move in circles or through a circuit.
3. (intransitive) To move from person to person, as at a party.
   • In both the 2005 and 2013 papal elections there were whispers circulating that back in 1976 Francis had failed to help the two priests in their hour of need. 2025 April 21, Peter Stanford, “Pope Francis obituary”, in The Guardian:
4. (transitive) To spread or disseminate.
   • to circulate money or gossip
5. (intransitive) To become widely known.
6. (intransitive) Of decimals: to repeat.
   • a circulating decimal

Forms

Deriveds

intercirculate · recirculate · circulation · circulatable · circulator · circulative · cocirculate · miscirculate

Synonyms

put about · spread · disseminate

Translations (35)

he הסתובב (to move in circles) · mk кружи (to move from person to person) · cmn 环绕 (to move in circles) · fi levittää (to spread or disseminate) · bg кръжа (to move in circles) · tr yaymak (to spread or disseminate) · fi pyörittää (to cause to move in circles) · ro a face cercuri (to move in circles) · gl circular (to move in circles) · la circumrotō (to move in circles) · he הפיץ (to spread or disseminate) · fi kiertää (to move in circles) · sq qarkulloj (to spread or disseminate) · cs šířit (to spread or disseminate) · bg обикалям (to move in circles) · fi kierittää (to cause to move in circles) · sv cirkulera (to move in circles) · eo cirkuladi (to move in circles) · th หมุนเวียน (to move in circles) · he סובב (to cause to move in circles) · es roldar (to move in circles) · es circular (to move in circles) · fi kiertää (to move from person to person) · pt circular (to move in circles) · ga scaip (to spread or disseminate) · th แพร่ (to spread or disseminate) · it circolare (to move in circles) · ota یایمق (to spread or disseminate) · cs obíhat (to move in circles) · fr circuler (to move in circles) · th แพร่กระจาย (to spread or disseminate) · ro cercui (to move in circles) · mk кружи (to move in circles) · bg разпространявам (to spread or disseminate) · fi pyöriä (to move in circles)