circulate
Definitions
(of a fluid, e.g. blood or air) to move continuously around a closed system.
（液体、空气等）循环流动
To spread or be passed around among people; to distribute widely.
流通；传播；散布
To move around a group of people at a social gathering.
（在聚会上）四处走动应酬
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin circulāre 'to move in a circle' (circ 'circle' + -ate verb-maker). The core image is a loop: something goes out and comes back. Blood circulates around the body; from there the loop becomes a metaphor — money, news, rumors and documents all 'go around' a group and return.
Root circ still carries 57 more wordsWhy It Means This
circulate is where the literal circle becomes an everyday metaphor for flow. The physical picture is your bloodstream — a closed loop pumping round and back. English then borrowed that loop for anything that moves through a group and returns: a memo circulates through an office, cash circulates in an economy, a rumor circulates among friends. At a party, you circulate — looping from group to group rather than staying put. In every case the hidden shape is the same circle.
Common Collocations
- 1.circulate freely自由流通
- 2.circulate widely广泛传播
- 3.circulate a memo传阅备忘录
- 4.blood circulates血液循环
Example Sentences
- 1.
The heart pumps blood to circulate oxygen around the body.
- 2.
Rumors about the merger began to circulate in the office.
- 3.
Please circulate this memo to everyone on the team.
- 4.
The host circulated among the guests all evening.
Synonym Comparison
- circulate — move in a loop and come back; emphasizes a system or group (blood, money, rumors)
- spread — move outward in all directions, no return implied (a fire spreads, news spreads)
- distribute — deliberately hand out to recipients (distribute leaflets)
- disseminate — formal; spread information widely and intentionally