cir ‧ cu ‧ late /ˈsɜːkjəleɪt, ˈsɜːkjʊleɪt $ ˈsɜːr-/ BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ circle , ↑ semicircle , ↑ circulation ; adjective : ↑ circular , ↑ semicircular , ↑ circulatory ; verb : ↑ circle , ↑ circulate ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of circulare , from circulus ; ⇨ ↑ circle 1 ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to move around within a system, or to make something do this:
Swimming helps to get the blood circulating through the muscles.
Ceiling fans circulated warm air around the room.
2 . [intransitive] if information, facts, ideas etc circulate, they become known by many people:
Rumours began circulating that the Prime Minister was seriously ill.
3 . [transitive] to send goods, information etc to people:
The group circulated petitions calling for a federal law to ban handguns.
4 . [intransitive] to talk to a lot of different people in a group, especially at a party