noun · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK:/ˌsɜː(ɹ).kjʊˈleɪ.ʃən/
US:/ˌsɝkjʊˈleɪʃən/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:S ER1 K Y AH0 L EY2 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act of moving in a circle, or in a course which brings the moving body to the place where its motion began.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The act of passing from place to place or person to person; free diffusion; transmission.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Currency; circulating coins; notes, bills, etc., current for coin.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
The new bills will come into circulation next Friday.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The extent to which anything circulates or is circulated; the measurement of diffusion, especially the number of copies sold of a publication.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
June 1 2016, Karen Roberts in the Evening Express, Aberdeen Journals - The Broad Street Years The reputation and circulation of the paper continued to grow, and the board decided a new custom-built base was required for both the Press and Journal and Evening Express to replace the crumbling, but much loved, Broad Street offices.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
The movement of the blood in the circulatory system, by which it is brought into close relations with the cells and tissues of the body; (loosely) the circulatory system.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: strictly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
The movement of the sap in the vessels and tissues of plants.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
the spread or transmission of something (as news or money) to a wider group or area
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: spread, spreading
Narrower terms: recirculation
8
noun
Meaning 8
the dissemination of copies of periodicals (as newspapers or magazines)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: dissemination, airing, public exposure, spreading
9
noun
Meaning 9
free movement or passage (as of cytoplasm within a cell or sap through a plant)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
ocean circulation is an important part of global climate
a fan aids air circulation
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: change of location, travel
10
noun
Meaning 10
movement through a circuit; especially the movement of blood through the heart and blood vessels
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.