in circulation

Idioms  

1. Also, into circulation. In business or social life, especially after a period of absence. For example, After a month in the hospital Bill was eager to get back in circulation. The antonym is out of circulation, as in Since we had twins we've been out of circulation, but we're hoping to get out more often soon. These expressions, dating from the first half of the 1900s, employ circulation in the sense of “making the rounds among people,” a usage dating from the 1600s.

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Example Sentences

Morgan Stanley estimated that 1.3 billion iPhones in circulation don’t have the necessary hardware to run the updated Siri.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Urner Barry has said its egg-price index has been in circulation since 1858, and publishes data on spot-market trades.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Government figures show around £93m of Jersey notes were in circulation at the end of 2025, with minimum print runs required "to achieve value for money in a smaller jurisdiction such as ours".

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Banknotes with the late Queen Elizabeth II also remain in circulation.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

Walkmans had started appearing at Hailsham since the previous year’s Sales and by that summer there were at least six of them in circulation.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• modern
• ongoing
• present
• prevailing