circulate
English · Thesaurus
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circulate
- /ˈsɜː.kjʊˌleɪt/ UK
- /ˈsɝ.kjʊˌleɪt/ US
Where it comes from
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”).
verb circulates · circulating · circulated
- To move in circles or through a circuit.
- To cause (a person or thing) to move in circles or through a circuit.
- 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.
- To spread or disseminate. to circulate money or gossip
- To become widely known.
- Of decimals: to repeat. a circulating decimal
Similar: put about, spread, disseminate
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: go around, circularize, disseminate, propagate, diffuse, spread, mobilize, disperse, pass on, broadcast, distribute, circle, circularise, pass around, circulation, circular
verb
Similar: put about, spread, disseminate
Translations
Talk about this word "circulate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/circulate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. circulate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/circulate "circulate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/circulate.Cite this
@misc{circulate_2026,
title = {circulate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/circulate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
