circulation

circulation — noun

1. the way in which news, ideas, money, or products move through a community or soc

1.nounB2
Definition

the way in which news, ideas, money, or products move through a community or society, reaching many different people or places.

Example

The new fifty-dollar note entered circulation at banks across Taiwan last week.

enter circulation — start being used by the public

Priya was surprised to learn that her photograph had entered circulation on several websites.

Common collocations
  • gain circulation
  • enter circulation
  • achieve wide circulation
  • put into circulation
  • withdraw from circulation
  • be in circulation
Synonyms
  • spread

    less structured and can apply to physical things like disease; circulation implies movement through a network

  • transmission

    focuses on the act of passing from a sender to a receiver, often for signals or data

  • dissemination

    more formal and deliberate, emphasising active scattering of information to a wide audience

Antonyms
  • withdrawal

    the removal of something from circulation, especially money or official documents

  • stagnation

    lack of movement or flow, the opposite of active circulation

Usage Note

Frequently used in fixed phrases: in circulation, out of circulation, put into circulation, and withdraw from circulation. The subject or object is typically money, news, information, or goods. Out of circulation can also refer metaphorically to a person who is not currently socialising.

Common Mistakes

The new coin is in the circulation.
The new coin is in circulation.
The phrase 'in circulation' never takes an article.

2. the count of issues of a periodical that readers buy, usually expressed per day,

2.nounC2
Definition

the count of issues of a periodical that readers buy, usually expressed per day, week, or month.

Example

The fashion magazine has a monthly circulation of around 150,000 copies in Japan.

has a circulation of [number] — expressing sales figures

Local newspapers have seen their circulation fall sharply since digital news became popular.

circulation falls/declines — downward trend in readership

Common collocations
  • daily circulation
  • weekly circulation
  • monthly circulation
  • circulation figures
  • circulation of [number]
  • circulation drop
  • circulation growth
Synonyms
  • readership

    broader term that includes people who borrow or share copies, not just those who buy

  • sales

    focuses on the commercial transaction rather than the social reach

Usage Note

Usually used with a number or figure, often in the construction 'has a circulation of + number'. Commonly modified by 'daily', 'weekly', or 'monthly'. Not used for electronic-only publications — online readership is usually called 'unique visitors' or 'page views'.

Common Mistakes

The magazine has a high circulation readers.
The magazine has a high circulation.
Circulation already expresses the number of readers; do not repeat 'readers'.

3. the movement by which the heart pumps blood through veins and arteries so that e

3.nounC2
Definition

the movement by which the heart pumps blood through veins and arteries so that every organ in the body receives the oxygen and fuel it needs.

Example

Regular exercise improves blood circulation and helps keep the heart strong.

improve circulation — make blood flow better

The doctor checked Hana's circulation by feeling the pulse in her wrist.

check (someone's) circulation — medical examination

Common collocations
  • poor circulation
  • good circulation
  • healthy circulation
  • improve circulation
  • stimulate circulation
  • check circulation
Synonyms
  • blood flow

    more specific about the movement of blood as a stream, used in exercise and physiology contexts

Usage Note

Often modified by 'poor', 'good', 'healthy', or 'improved'. Although 'blood circulation' is common, the word 'circulation' alone implies blood when the context is medical. The circulatory system includes the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries.

Common Mistakes

I have bad blood circulation in my legs.
I have poor circulation in my legs.
'Blood' is usually omitted in natural medical contexts.

Word family

  • circulate
    verbB2
  • circulatory
    adjectiveC1
  • recirculate
    verbC1
  • circulating
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Circulation, spread, transmission, and dissemination all describe how something moves from one place or person to another, but they differ in structure and register. Circulation implies movement through a connected network or system — money, news, or goods pass from person to person in a continuous loop, as when a rumour 'circulates' through a school. Spread is broader and less structured; it can describe anything moving outward from a centre without necessarily returning, like a stain spreading on cloth or a smile spreading across a face. Transmission focuses on the act of passing something from a specific source to a receiver — radio signals, diseases, or data are 'transmitted'. Dissemination is the most formal and deliberate, suggesting a conscious effort to scatter information widely, as when a government agency handles the dissemination of safety guidelines. For everyday use: 'The video achieved wide circulation on TikTok' suggests it moved naturally through user networks, while 'The spread of the rumour was unstoppable' suggests uncontrolled outward expansion.

circulation ↗spread ↗transmission ↗dissemination

Common collocations

Nouns

  • circulation figures
  • circulation department
  • circulation system

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in circulation
  • out of circulation
  • put into circulation
  • withdraw from circulation
  • enter circulation
  • gain circulation

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Circulation comes from Latin circulatio, meaning 'a going round'. It is built from circulus, the Latin word for 'circle', plus the suffix -atio, which turns verbs into nouns. The word entered English in the 1400s, first describing anything that moves in a circular path. By the 1500s it was being used for blood moving through the body. In the 1600s and 1700s it broadened to cover money, news, and ideas passing from person to person, and by the 1800s it was applied to how many copies of a newspaper are sold.