1
as in to circle
to travel completely around
communication satellites encircling the earth
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2
as in to surround
to form a circle around
immediately after announcing their engagement, the couple was encircled by their applauding friends
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encircle
By Tuesday evening, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.
—
Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 May 2025
Howell got an earful before finally convincing a man to leave a campground almost encircled by the South Toe River.
—Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 May 2025
Dad, a newsreader for the BBC, grew up in Caterham, a town near the M25 motorway that encircles London and prime Palace-supporting territory.
—Rebecca Lowe, New York Times, 14 May 2025
The look wove aspects of the traditional Chinese qipao, or cheongsam, such as the mandarin collar and a floral pattern, with unexpected flourishes – soft, puffy sculptures encircling the bust and hip, black lace and a thigh high slit.
—Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 21 May 2025
Howell got an earful before finally convincing a man to leave a campground almost encircled by the South Toe River.
—Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 May 2025
Dad, a newsreader for the BBC, grew up in Caterham, a town near the M25 motorway that encircles London and prime Palace-supporting territory.
—Rebecca Lowe, New York Times, 14 May 2025
The look wove aspects of the traditional Chinese qipao, or cheongsam, such as the mandarin collar and a floral pattern, with unexpected flourishes – soft, puffy sculptures encircling the bust and hip, black lace and a thigh high slit.
—Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircle
Verb
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Right Now And don’t skip a walk around the city walls—a 1.2-mile stretch circling the Old Town.—
Jenn Rice,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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Union demonstrators demanding passage of the bill greeted lawmakers outside the Capitol in the morning, circling a corner of the parking lot used by the governor and top legislative leaders.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2025
Verb
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Others are sleeping in tents surrounded by the rubble of their former homes, fearful to leave in case they are forced out of Gaza.—
Sarah-Grace Mankarious,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
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The newlyweds tied the knot on May 16 at Sandals Ochi Rios in Jamaica, surrounded by their close friends and family.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
Verb
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In the sneak peek clip, an array of ocean animals traverse great distances in search of food, including travelling to seamounts — underwater mountains up to three miles high.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
5 June 2025
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But, given the unlimited wonders accessible to the owner of a TARDIS that can traverse all of space and time, the Doctor's ongoing obsession with Earth and its people (particularly the UK) seems slightly incongruous.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Mars Odyssey and MAVEN are two spacecrafts that have been orbiting Mars for years.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
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Psyche is a nickel-iron core asteroid that orbits the sun beyond Mars anywhere from 235 million to 309 million miles away.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encircle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircle. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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