circulation — English Dictionary

Noun

1. The act of moving in a circle, or in a course which brings the moving body to the place where its motion began.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

2. The act of passing from place to place or person to person; free diffusion; transmission.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   For example, by changing the use of existing rooms, removing or replacing unsightly features, clearing obstacles to easy circulation, rearranging direction signs and generally introducing as much order as possible, most outdated station buildings can be made reasonably efficient and attractive.

3. Currency; circulating coins; notes, bills, etc., current for coin.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   The new bills will come into circulation next Friday.

4. The extent to which anything circulates or is circulated; the measurement of diffusion, especially the number of copies sold of a publication.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   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.

   Print circulation across the top 50 US magazines fell 5% year-on-year.

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.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

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   In the dead state all is apparently without motion. No agent within indicates design, intelligence, or foresight: there is no respiration; no digestion, circulation, or nutrition; […]

6. The movement of the sap in the vessels and tissues of plants.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

Noun

1. the dissemination of copies of periodicals (as newspapers or magazines)

   Broader terms

   disseminationairingpublic exposurespreading

2. movement through a circuit; especially the movement of blood through the heart and blood vessels

   Broader terms

   organic phenomenon

3. (library science) the count of books that are loaned by a library over a specified period

   Broader terms

   count

4. number of copies of a newspaper or magazine that are sold

   Broader terms

   count

   Examples

   by increasing its circulation the newspaper hoped to increase its advertising

5. free movement or passage (as of cytoplasm within a cell or sap through a plant)

   Broader terms

   change of locationtravel

   Examples

   ocean circulation is an important part of global climate

   a fan aids air circulation

6. the spread or transmission of something (as news or money) to a wider group or area

   Broader terms

   spreadspreading