out of circulation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The long consignment to the wilderness thwarts “preservation, access, education, creative reuse, scholarship, etc., when most of the works are out of circulation and not benefiting any rights holders.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2025

There is little documentation of its subsequent use, but it is believed to have been taken out of circulation at some point in the 1930s, because of concerns about its long-lasting effects.

From BBC • Nov. 30, 2025

Indiana held that, while the government is entitled to keep copies of “expressive materials” to use as evidence, it can’t take them out of circulation entirely, especially without a determination of illegality.

From Slate • May 21, 2024

“Imprisonment might be necessary to take out of circulation a person who is causing harm to society, but there’s a background to it.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 16, 2023

Most of the money used is United States money, but the store-keepers and the owners of saloons do their best to keep it out of circulation; they naturally find gold more profitable.

From The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 2, No. 10, March 10, 1898 A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls by Bishop, Julia Truitt