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

Coins in circulation in the UK carrying the portrait of King Charles have so far been limited to the 5p, 50p and £1.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Experts say that the program has contributed to the high number of unlicensed guns in circulation in the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

That could more than double the already limited number of shares in circulation, which currently sits at around 5 percent.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Election law expert Fred Woocher said that the law allows the ballot measure summary to be different than the description of the measure in circulation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 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