"circulate" meaning in English

See circulate in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /ˈsɚ.kjʊˌleɪt/ Audio: En-us-circulate.ogg [US] Forms: circulates [present, singular, third-person], circulating [participle, present], circulated [participle, past], circulated [past]
enPR: sər'kü-lāt Etymology: Borrowed from Latin circulatus, past participle of Late Latin circulare (“make circular, encircle”), a later collateral form of circulari (“form a circle (of men) around oneself”), from circulus (“a circle”). Etymology templates: {{bor|en|la|circulatus}} Latin circulatus, {{der|en|LL.|circulo|circulare|make circular, encircle}} Late Latin circulare (“make circular, encircle”), {{m|la|circulari||form a circle (of men) around oneself}} circulari (“form a circle (of men) around oneself”), {{m|la|circulus||a circle}} circulus (“a circle”) Head templates: {{en-verb}} circulate (third-person singular simple present circulates, present participle circulating, simple past and past participle circulated)
  1. (intransitive) to move in circles or through a circuit Tags: intransitive Translations (to move in circles): обикалям (obikaljam) (Bulgarian), кръжа (krǎža) (Bulgarian), 环绕 (Chinese Mandarin), obíhat (Czech), cirkuladi (Esperanto), kiertää (Finnish), pyöriä (Finnish), circuler (French), circular (Galician), הסתובב (histovév) (Hebrew), circolare (Italian), кружи (kruži) (Macedonian), circular (Portuguese), cercui (Romanian), a face cercuri (Romanian), circular (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-circulate-en-verb-mDajxI3X Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 46 35 6 2 4 7 Disambiguation of 'to move in circles': 56 38 2 1 1 1
  2. (transitive) to cause (a person or thing) to move in circles or through a circuit Tags: transitive Translations (to cause to move in circles): kierittää (Finnish), pyörittää (Finnish), סובב (sovév) (Hebrew)
    Sense id: en-circulate-en-verb-o-h5GOoS Disambiguation of 'to cause to move in circles': 29 67 1 1 1 1
  3. to move from person to person, as at a party Translations (to move from person to person): kiertää (Finnish), кружи (kruži) (Macedonian)
    Sense id: en-circulate-en-verb-EsdB9aql Disambiguation of 'to move from person to person': 4 16 79 0 0 1
  4. to spread or disseminate Translations (to spread or disseminate): разпространявам (razprostranjavam) (Bulgarian), šířit (Czech), levittää (Finnish), הפיץ (hefíts) (Hebrew)
    Sense id: en-circulate-en-verb-pig17mOp Disambiguation of 'to spread or disseminate': 2 2 0 94 1 1
  5. to become widely known
    Sense id: en-circulate-en-verb-vS2glQjs
  6. (mathematics) Of decimals: to repeat. Categories (topical): Mathematics
    Sense id: en-circulate-en-verb-GIWs-GES Topics: mathematics, sciences
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: put about, spread, disseminate

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for circulate meaning in English (6.7kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "circulatus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin circulatus",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "LL.",
        "3": "circulo",
        "4": "circulare",
        "5": "make circular, encircle"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin circulare (“make circular, encircle”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "circulari",
        "3": "",
        "4": "form a circle (of men) around oneself"
      },
      "expansion": "circulari (“form a circle (of men) around oneself”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "circulus",
        "3": "",
        "4": "a circle"
      },
      "expansion": "circulus (“a circle”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin circulatus, past participle of Late Latin circulare (“make circular, encircle”), a later collateral form of circulari (“form a circle (of men) around oneself”), from circulus (“a circle”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "circulates",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "circulating",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "circulated",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "circulated",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "circulate (third-person singular simple present circulates, present participle circulating, simple past and past participle circulated)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "46 35 6 2 4 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to move in circles or through a circuit"
      ],
      "id": "en-circulate-en-verb-mDajxI3X",
      "links": [
        [
          "move",
          "move"
        ],
        [
          "circle",
          "circle"
        ],
        [
          "circuit",
          "circuit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) to move in circles or through a circuit"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "obikaljam",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "обикалям"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "krǎža",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "кръжа"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "环绕"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "obíhat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "cirkuladi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "kiertää"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "pyöriä"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "circuler"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "circular"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "histovév",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "הסתובב"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "circolare"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "kruži",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "кружи"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "circular"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "cercui"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "a face cercuri"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "56 38 2 1 1 1",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to move in circles",
          "word": "circular"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "to cause (a person or thing) to move in circles or through a circuit"
      ],
      "id": "en-circulate-en-verb-o-h5GOoS",
      "links": [
        [
          "circle",
          "circle"
        ],
        [
          "circuit",
          "circuit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) to cause (a person or thing) to move in circles or through a circuit"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "29 67 1 1 1 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to cause to move in circles",
          "word": "kierittää"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "29 67 1 1 1 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to cause to move in circles",
          "word": "pyörittää"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "29 67 1 1 1 1",
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "sovév",
          "sense": "to cause to move in circles",
          "word": "סובב"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "to move from person to person, as at a party"
      ],
      "id": "en-circulate-en-verb-EsdB9aql",
      "links": [
        [
          "person",
          "person"
        ],
        [
          "party",
          "party"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "4 16 79 0 0 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to move from person to person",
          "word": "kiertää"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 16 79 0 0 1",
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "kruži",
          "sense": "to move from person to person",
          "word": "кружи"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "to circulate money or gossip"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to spread or disseminate"
      ],
      "id": "en-circulate-en-verb-pig17mOp",
      "links": [
        [
          "spread",
          "spread"
        ],
        [
          "disseminate",
          "disseminate"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "2 2 0 94 1 1",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "razprostranjavam",
          "sense": "to spread or disseminate",
          "word": "разпространявам"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 2 0 94 1 1",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "to spread or disseminate",
          "word": "šířit"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 2 0 94 1 1",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to spread or disseminate",
          "word": "levittää"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 2 0 94 1 1",
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "hefíts",
          "sense": "to spread or disseminate",
          "word": "הפיץ"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "to become widely known"
      ],
      "id": "en-circulate-en-verb-vS2glQjs",
      "links": [
        [
          "widely",
          "widely"
        ],
        [
          "known",
          "known"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Mathematics",
          "orig": "en:Mathematics",
          "parents": [
            "Formal sciences",
            "Sciences",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of decimals: to repeat."
      ],
      "id": "en-circulate-en-verb-GIWs-GES",
      "links": [
        [
          "mathematics",
          "mathematics"
        ],
        [
          "decimal",
          "decimal"
        ],
        [
          "repeat",
          "repeat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(mathematics) Of decimals: to repeat."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "mathematics",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɚ.kjʊˌleɪt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-circulate.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3c/En-us-circulate.ogg/En-us-circulate.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/En-us-circulate.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    },
    {
      "enpr": "sər'kü-lāt"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "put about"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "spread"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "disseminate"
    }
  ],
  "word": "circulate"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 3-syllable words",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms borrowed from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Late Latin",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs",
    "Requests for review of Esperanto translations",
    "Requests for review of French translations",
    "Requests for review of Spanish translations"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "circulatus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin circulatus",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "LL.",
        "3": "circulo",
        "4": "circulare",
        "5": "make circular, encircle"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin circulare (“make circular, encircle”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "circulari",
        "3": "",
        "4": "form a circle (of men) around oneself"
      },
      "expansion": "circulari (“form a circle (of men) around oneself”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "circulus",
        "3": "",
        "4": "a circle"
      },
      "expansion": "circulus (“a circle”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin circulatus, past participle of Late Latin circulare (“make circular, encircle”), a later collateral form of circulari (“form a circle (of men) around oneself”), from circulus (“a circle”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "circulates",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "circulating",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "circulated",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "circulated",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "circulate (third-person singular simple present circulates, present participle circulating, simple past and past participle circulated)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to move in circles or through a circuit"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "move",
          "move"
        ],
        [
          "circle",
          "circle"
        ],
        [
          "circuit",
          "circuit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) to move in circles or through a circuit"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to cause (a person or thing) to move in circles or through a circuit"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "circle",
          "circle"
        ],
        [
          "circuit",
          "circuit"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) to cause (a person or thing) to move in circles or through a circuit"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "to move from person to person, as at a party"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "person",
          "person"
        ],
        [
          "party",
          "party"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "to circulate money or gossip"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "to spread or disseminate"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "spread",
          "spread"
        ],
        [
          "disseminate",
          "disseminate"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "to become widely known"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "widely",
          "widely"
        ],
        [
          "known",
          "known"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Mathematics"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of decimals: to repeat."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "mathematics",
          "mathematics"
        ],
        [
          "decimal",
          "decimal"
        ],
        [
          "repeat",
          "repeat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(mathematics) Of decimals: to repeat."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "mathematics",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɚ.kjʊˌleɪt/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-circulate.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3c/En-us-circulate.ogg/En-us-circulate.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/En-us-circulate.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    },
    {
      "enpr": "sər'kü-lāt"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "put about"
    },
    {
      "word": "spread"
    },
    {
      "word": "disseminate"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "obikaljam",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "обикалям"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "krǎža",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "кръжа"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "环绕"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "obíhat"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "cirkuladi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "kiertää"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "pyöriä"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "circuler"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "circular"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "histovév",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "הסתובב"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "circolare"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "kruži",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "кружи"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "circular"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "cercui"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "a face cercuri"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to move in circles",
      "word": "circular"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to cause to move in circles",
      "word": "kierittää"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to cause to move in circles",
      "word": "pyörittää"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "sovév",
      "sense": "to cause to move in circles",
      "word": "סובב"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to move from person to person",
      "word": "kiertää"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "kruži",
      "sense": "to move from person to person",
      "word": "кружи"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "razprostranjavam",
      "sense": "to spread or disseminate",
      "word": "разпространявам"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "to spread or disseminate",
      "word": "šířit"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to spread or disseminate",
      "word": "levittää"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "hefíts",
      "sense": "to spread or disseminate",
      "word": "הפיץ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "circulate"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.