cir|cu|la|tion /sɜː r kjʊle I ʃ ə n/ (circulations )
1 N‑COUNT The circulation of a newspaper or magazine is the number of copies that are sold each time it is produced. □ The Daily News once had the highest circulation of any daily in the country. □ The paper has proved unable to maintain its circulation figures.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Your circulation is the movement of blood through your body. □ Anyone with heart, lung or circulation problems should seek medical advice before flying. □ …cold spots in the fingers caused by poor circulation.
3 → see also circulate
4 PHRASE If something such as money is in circulation , it is being used by the public. If something is out of circulation or has been withdrawn from circulation , it is no longer available for use by the public. □ …a society like America, with perhaps 180 million guns in circulation. □ …the decision to take 50 and 100 ruble bills out of circulation.
cir|cu|la|tory /sɜː r kjʊle I təri, [AM ] -lətɔːri/ ADJ [ADJ n] Circulatory means relating to the circulation of blood in the body. [MEDICAL ] □ …the human circulatory system.
cir|cum|cise /sɜː r kəmsa I z/ (circumcises , circumcising , circumcised )
1 VERB [usu passive] If a boy or man is circumcised , the loose skin at the end of his penis is cut off. □ [be V -ed] He had been circumcised within eight days of birth as required by Jewish law. ● cir|cum|ci|sion /sɜː r kəms I ʒ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft a N ] □ Jews and Moslems practise circumcision for religious reasons.
2 VERB [usu passive] In some cultures, if a girl or woman is circumcised , her clitoris is cut or cut off. □ [be V -ed] An estimated 90 million women around the world have been circumcised. ● cir|cum|ci|sion N‑UNCOUNT □ …a campaigner against female circumcision.
cir|cum|fer|ence /sə r kʌ mfrəns/
1 N‑UNCOUNT The circumference of a circle, place, or round object is the distance around its edge. □ …a scientist calculating the Earth's circumference. □ The island is 3.5 km in circumference.
2 N‑UNCOUNT The circumference of a circle, place, or round object is its edge. □ [+ of ] Cut the salmon into long strips and wrap it round the circumference of the bread.
cir|cum|flex /sɜː r kəmfleks/ (circumflexes ) N‑COUNT A circumflex or a circumflex accent is a symbol written over a vowel in French and other languages, usually to indicate that it should be pronounced longer than usual. It is used for example in the word 'rôle'.
cir|cum|lo|cu|tion /sɜː r kəmloʊkjuː ʃ ə n/ (circumlocutions ) N‑VAR A circumlocution is a way of saying or writing something using more words than are necessary instead of being clear and direct. [FORMAL ]
cir|cum|navi|gate /sɜː r kəmnæ v I ge I t/ (circumnavigates , circumnavigating , circumnavigated ) VERB If someone circumnavigates the world or an island, they sail all the way around it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] For this year at least, our race to circumnavigate the globe in less than 80 days is over.
cir|cum|scribe /sɜː r kəmskra I b/ (circumscribes , circumscribing , circumscribed ) VERB If someone's power or freedom is circumscribed , it is limited or restricted. [FORMAL ] □ [be V -ed] The army evidently fears that, under him, its activities would be severely circumscribed. □ [V n] There are laws circumscribing the right of individual citizens to cause bodily harm to others.
cir|cum|spect /sɜː r kəmspekt/ ADJ If you are circumspect , you are cautious in what you do and say and do not take risks. [FORMAL ] □ [+ in ] The banks should have been more circumspect in their dealings. ● cir|cum|spect|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ You should behave as circumspectly as possible in political matters.
cir|cum|spec|tion /sɜː r kəmspe kʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft with N ] Circumspection is cautious behaviour and a refusal to take risks. [FORMAL ] □ This is a region to be treated with circumspection.
cir|cum|stance ◆◇◇ /sɜː r kəmstæns/ (circumstances )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The circumstances of a particular situation are the conditions which affect what happens. □ Recent opinion polls show that 60 percent favor abortion under certain circumstances. □ I wish we could have met under happier circumstances.
2 N‑PLURAL The circumstances of an event are the way it happened or the causes of it. □ [+ of ] I'm making inquiries about the circumstances of Mary Dean's murder. □ Hundreds of people had died there in terrible circumstances during and after the revolution.
3 N‑PLURAL [usu with poss] Your circumstances are the conditions of your life, especially the amount of money that you have. □ …help and support for the single mother, whatever her circumstances. □ I wouldn't have expected to find you in such comfortable circumstances.
4 N‑UNCOUNT Events and situations which cannot be controlled are sometimes referred to as circumstance . □ There are those, you know, who, by circumstance, end up homeless. □ You might say that we've been victims of circumstance.
5 PHRASE You can emphasize that something must not or will not happen by saying that it must not or will not happen under any circumstances . [EMPHASIS ] □ She made it clear that under no circumstances would she cancel the trip.
6 PHRASE You can use in the circumstances or under the circumstances before or after a statement to indicate that you have considered the conditions affecting the situation before making the statement. □ Under the circumstances, a crash was unavoidable. SYNONYMS circumstance NOUN 1