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

See Examples For:

in circulation

I made a conscious decision to photograph them in circulation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

They remain legal tender but not in circulation, as they are largely kept by private currency collectors.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

The US embassy in New Delhi told AFP that "thousands of tuk-tuks currently in circulation will be sponsored to showcase messages celebrating America's 250th birthday".

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

It’s a reasonable goal to reduce the central bank’s securities holdings to $2.5 trillion, which is the level of currency in circulation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

Thus the number of apostrophes in circulation remains constant, even if this means we have double the reason to go and bang our heads against a wall.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

Related Words

• modern
• ongoing
• present
• prevailing