circulate
gb/sˈɚkjəlˌeɪt/ us/sˈɚkjəlˌeɪt/
B2
Inglês
~ 5200
Aceções
0 aceções
Verbo
B2
event
1
for information to spread
to move between many people, so that news, stories, or rumors become known by many
Padrão de uso:
for [information] to circulate among [people]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use "circulate" only as a transitive verb (e.g., *"He circulated the rumor"*) when in most everyday contexts it is more natural to say "The rumor circulated" or "The rumor spread." Also, some learners confuse "circulate" with "publish"; "circulate" focuses on movement between people, not on the initial act of making something public.
Sinónimos
spread (the most general word for information moving from one person or place to many others)
|
go around (more informal; often used for rumors and stories)
Antónimos
stay secret (emphasizes that information does not move beyond a small group)
|
be contained (suggests efforts to stop information from reaching more people)
Colocações
rumors circulate
|stories circulate
|circulate widely
|circulate online
|circulate on social media
|circulate among staff
Temas
communication
|media
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- Rumors began to circulate that the company was about to be sold.
- The video circulated on social media within hours of being posted.
- A false story circulating online caused a lot of confusion.
- An internal memo is circulating among employees about the new policy.
- Conspiracy theories continued to circulate despite official statements.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- A strange story is circulating in our office.
- The news of their breakup quickly circulated among their friends.
- A list of exam topics is circulating on the student forum.
- Many fake messages circulate on the internet.
- The photo circulated in group chats all weekend.
Verbo
B2
action
2
for liquid or air to move
to move again and again around in a system, like blood in the body or air in a room
Padrão de uso:
for [liquid/air/blood] to circulate through [something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes say *"the blood is moving in circle"* instead of "the blood circulates" or "the blood is circulating." They may also confuse "circulate" with "rotate"; "rotate" is about turning around an axis, while "circulate" is about moving around within a system or space.
Sinónimos
flow (focuses on the movement itself, not necessarily in a loop or system)
|
move around (very general description of movement without the technical sense of a system)
Antónimos
stagnate (describes a liquid or air that is not moving and often becoming dirty or unhealthy)
|
pool (liquid gathering in one place instead of moving around)
Colocações
blood circulates
|air circulates
|heat circulates
|circulate through the body
|circulate throughout the room
|circulate freely
Temas
science
|health
|environment
Exemplos
- Blood circulates through the body, delivering oxygen to the tissues.
- Open a window to let the air circulate in here.
- The warm water circulates through the pipes and heats the house.
- Coolant circulates around the engine to prevent it from overheating.
- Ceiling fans help circulate air throughout the warehouse.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- Blood circulates in our bodies all the time.
- Fresh air must circulate in the classroom.
- The pump helps water circulate in the pool.
- Hot air circulates around the room from the heater.
- The medicine circulates through the blood.
Verbo
B2
action
3
send a document to many people
to give or send the same paper or message to many people in a group, often so they can read or sign it
Padrão de uso:
to circulate [document] to [people]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes say *"share to everyone"* instead of natural phrases like "circulate it to everyone" or "send it to everyone." They may also confuse "circulate" with "forward" for emails; "forward" is usually one-to-one or one-to-few, while "circulate" suggests sending broadly around a group.
Sinónimos
distribute (more general; does not always imply that the same copy moves from person to person)
|
pass around (more informal; often used when people physically hand something to the next person)
Antónimos
withhold (to keep a document or information and not give it to people)
|
collect (taking documents back from people, the opposite direction of movement)
Colocações
circulate a memo
|circulate a petition
|circulate the minutes
|circulate a draft
|circulate the agenda
|circulate an email
Temas
business
|education
|government
|communication
|work
Exemplos
- Please circulate the agenda to all team members before the meeting.
- They are circulating a petition to protest the new law.
- The minutes will be circulated by email later today.
- The draft report was circulated among senior managers for feedback.
- Could you circulate this survey to your students?
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The teacher circulated a sign-up sheet in class.
- We will circulate the report tomorrow morning.
- He circulated a petition to save the park.
- Please circulate this notice to your staff.
- The manager circulated the meeting notes to everyone.
Verbo
C1
action
4
move between people at an event
to walk around at a party or meeting and talk to different people or groups
Padrão de uso:
to circulate among [people]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes say *"move around people"* when they mean "move between people." In this social sense, "circulate among the guests" is more natural than *"circulate around the guests"*, which can sound like walking in a circle around them.
Sinónimos
mingle (common in social contexts; focuses more on mixing and chatting than on purposeful movement)
|
work the room (informal; suggests active, sometimes strategic networking with many people)
Antónimos
stay put (to remain in one place instead of moving between people)
|
keep to oneself (to avoid social interaction, the opposite of moving around and talking to many people)
Colocações
circulate at a party
|circulate among guests
|circulate around the room
|circulate and chat
|host circulated
|circulate during the reception
Temas
social
|business
|daily life
|relationships
Exemplos
- As the host, she spent the evening circulating among the guests.
- He circulated around the conference hall, introducing himself to potential clients.
- Waiters circulated through the crowd with trays of drinks.
- Security staff quietly circulated among the audience during the event.
- At networking events, it's important to circulate instead of talking to just one person.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The manager circulated around the room and spoke to every employee.
- At the party, she circulated and met many new people.
- Waiters circulated among the tables with food.
- He did not circulate; he just sat in one corner.
- Our teacher circulated in the class to help students.
Verbo
C1
state
5
for money to be used and exchanged
to move from person to person as people use or trade it, especially about money or coins
Padrão de uso:
for [money] to circulate in [place/system]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes say *"the money is circulating hands"* instead of the natural phrase "money is changing hands" or "money circulates." They may also use "circulate" where "transfer" is better for electronic money moving between accounts.
Sinónimos
change hands (focuses on ownership changing, especially with money or property)
|
be in use (more general; does not highlight the movement between users)
Antónimos
be withdrawn (used for money or coins that are removed from use)
|
be hoarded (kept and not allowed to move or be used by others)
Colocações
money circulates
|freely circulating currency
|circulating coins
|circulate in the economy
|still in circulation
|no longer circulates
Temas
economy
|business
|government
|finance
Exemplos
- The old banknotes will no longer circulate after the end of the year.
- Only a small amount of cash circulates in the local economy.
- The new coins are now circulating alongside the old ones.
- Foreign currencies rarely circulate in rural areas.
- Cryptocurrencies are beginning to circulate more widely in some countries.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- These coins do not circulate anymore.
- Less cash circulates now because many people pay by card.
- The new $20 bills started to circulate last month.
- Many dollars circulate in the city during tourist season.
- Old notes still circulate, but shops will stop taking them soon.
Verbo
C1
action
6
distribute copies of a publication
to send or deliver many copies of a newspaper, magazine, or other publication so that many people can get it
Padrão de uso:
to circulate [publication] widely
Erro comum:
Learners may overuse "publish" where "circulate" is better, especially when the focus is on spreading existing material rather than creating or releasing it for the first time.
Sinónimos
distribute (very close in this context; more common in business language)
|
issue (often used for official publications or updates; focuses on releasing rather than the ongoing spread)
Antónimos
recall (to remove distributed copies from the public, often because of an error or problem)
|
limit distribution (to restrict how widely something is circulated)
Colocações
circulate the newspaper
|circulate widely
|circulate 100,000 copies
|circulate nationally
|circulate the magazine
|circulate in print and online
Temas
media
|business
|education
|communication
Exemplos
- The newspaper is circulated throughout the country.
- The report was never officially circulated to the general public.
- Several underground pamphlets were secretly circulated during the war.
- The magazine is circulated mainly in academic circles.
- Their newsletter now circulates in both print and digital formats.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- This small paper is only circulated in our town.
- The group circulated a booklet about health.
- Their student magazine is circulated once a month.
- The report was not circulated to the public.
- Flyers were circulated in the neighborhood.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
circulate
IPA
GB/sˈɚkjəlˌeɪt/
US/sˈɚkjəlˌeɪt/
Sílabas e acento
cir - cu - late (3 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (cir)
Formas da palavra
Verb
- Base: circulate
- 3rd Person Singular: circulates
- Present Participle: circulating
- Past: circulated
Família de palavras
Forms
circulates
verb
circulating
verb
circulated
verb
Core family
circulation
noun B1
circular
adjective A2
Related words
recirculate
verb
Advanced or less common
circulatory
adjective
Expressões
circulate a petition
1/sˈɚkjəlˌeɪt ə pətˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
pass a petition for signatures
to pass a paper or online form to many people so they can sign it to show support or protest
Exemplos
- They decided to circulate a petition against the new parking rules.
- Students are circulating a petition to keep the library open later.
circulate among the guests
1/sˈɚkjəlˌeɪt əmˈʌŋ ðə ɡˈɛsts/
fixed phrase
move between guests and interact
to walk around at a party or event and talk to different guests or check on them
Exemplos
- The host circulated among the guests to make sure everyone felt welcome.
- Waiters circulated among the guests with trays of dessert.
circulate the minutes
1/sˈɚkjəlˌeɪt ðə mˈɪnɪts/
fixed phrase
send meeting notes around a group
to send the written record of a meeting to all the people who need to read it
Exemplos
- I'll circulate the minutes later this afternoon.
- The secretary circulated the minutes to all board members.
circulate widely
1/sˈɚkjəlˌeɪt wˈaɪdli/
fixed phrase
spread to many people or places
to move or spread so that many people or places receive or see it
Exemplos
- The fake news story circulated widely before it was corrected.
- The report circulated widely among policy makers.
rumors circulate
1/ɹˈumɚz sˈɚkjəlˌeɪt/
fixed phrase
when rumors spread among people
people start telling the same unproven story to each other, so many people hear it
Exemplos
- Rumors circulate every time there is a big change at the company.
- In a small town, rumors circulate very quickly.