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

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

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

From BBC ● May 28, 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

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