spread out vs circulate

spread out and circulate both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
spread out	No	No	Yes	No
circulate	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, circulate is a hypernym of spread out; that is, circulate is a word with a broader meaning than spread out:

Other hypernyms of spread out include distribute, pass around, pass on.

spread out (verb)	circulate (verb)
set out or stretch in a line, succession, or series	cause to become widely known
spread out or open from a closed or folded state	become widely known and passed on
move outward	move around freely from person to person or from place to place
extend in one or more directions	move through a space, circuit or system, returning to the starting point
move away from each other	cause to be distributed
turn outward	cause to move in a circuit or system
strew or distribute over an area