circulate
verb
cir·cu·late ˈsər-kyə-ˌlāt 
circulated; circulating
intransitive verb
1
: to move in a circle, circuit, or orbit
especially : to follow a course that returns to the starting point
blood circulates through the body
2
: to pass from person to person or place to place: such as
a
: to flow without obstruction
b
: to become well-known or widespread
rumors circulated through the town
c
: to go from group to group at a social gathering
d
: 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 
Synonyms
- broadcast
- disseminate
- propagate
- spread
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 The announcement was expected; Democrats in Trumbull County put out an internal call for volunteers last week to help circulate candidate petitions for Crossman. 
Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 16 Dec. 2021 With the November general election campaigns becoming more intense, candidates for the 2023 municipal elections are starting to circulate petitions, according to a news release from Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly. Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2022 What's great is that the gadget simply uses the car's fan to circulate the aroma and doesn't heat the oils. Monique Valeris, Good Housekeeping, 25 Aug. 2022 Morrison underscored the need for more parking or better ways to circulate traffic if longer business hours prompt patrons to stay on the premises longer. Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2022 The current flu vaccine has been updated to be a better match against the viruses that are expected to circulate, reports Julie Washington. Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, 18 Aug. 2022 That means prank callers can be heavily penalized for initiating a police response or leading officers to circulate false allegations that are likely to cause public alarm. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 16 Aug. 2022 Parechoviruses are a group of viruses that cause a range of disease in humans and are known to circulate in summer and fall. Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 13 Aug. 2022 Parechoviruses are believed to generally circulate in the summer and fall. Alexander Tin, CBS News, 29 July 2022 See More
Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 16 Dec. 2021 With the November general election campaigns becoming more intense, candidates for the 2023 municipal elections are starting to circulate petitions, according to a news release from Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly. Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2022 What's great is that the gadget simply uses the car's fan to circulate the aroma and doesn't heat the oils. Monique Valeris, Good Housekeeping, 25 Aug. 2022 Morrison underscored the need for more parking or better ways to circulate traffic if longer business hours prompt patrons to stay on the premises longer. Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2022 The current flu vaccine has been updated to be a better match against the viruses that are expected to circulate, reports Julie Washington. Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, 18 Aug. 2022 That means prank callers can be heavily penalized for initiating a police response or leading officers to circulate false allegations that are likely to cause public alarm. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 16 Aug. 2022 Parechoviruses are a group of viruses that cause a range of disease in humans and are known to circulate in summer and fall. Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 13 Aug. 2022 Parechoviruses are believed to generally circulate in the summer and fall. Alexander Tin, CBS News, 29 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin circulatus, past participle of circulare, from circulus
First Known Use
1603, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Kids Definition
circulate
verb
cir·cu·late ˈsər-kyə-ˌlāt
circulated; circulating
1
: to move around in a course
Blood circulates in the body.
2
: to pass or be passed from place to place or from person to person
The rumor circulated around the school.
Medical Definition
circulate
intransitive verb
cir·cu·late ˈsər-kyə-ˌlāt
circulated; circulating
: to flow or be propelled naturally through a closed system of channels (as blood vessels)
blood circulates through the body
circulator
noun
as in gossiper
a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others an ugly rumor about one of our staffers was circulating, and, as usual, the chief circulator was the in-house busybody Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- gossiper
- informant
- informer
- gossip
- gossipmonger
- newsmonger
- yenta
- snitcher
- telltale
- stool pigeon
- tattler
- squealer
- tale-teller
- tattletale
- talebearer
- betrayer
- quidnunc
- libeler
- scandalmonger
- blabbermouth