ENGLISH
REFERENCE

circulate

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈsɝkjəˌɫeɪt// UK //sˈɜːkjʊlˌeɪt// cir·cu·late

v. to move around a system or a group of people. You use this when blood moves through your body or when a piece of news passes from person to person.

v. to move continuously or freely through a closed system or area; to pass from person to person or place to place. Can be used both transitively and intransitively.


SIMPLE

The fans help the air circulate through the room.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager asked the staff to circulate the new safety memo to every department by the end of the day.

COMPLEX

In a healthy ecosystem, nutrients circulate through the soil and water, sustaining a diverse range of organisms that eventually return those same elements to the earth.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

When used transitively, it requires a direct object (e.g., 'circulate the document').

© 2026 English Reference