encapsulate
verb
Did you know?
We’ll keep it brief by encapsulating the history of this word in just a few sentences. Encapsulate and its related noun, capsule, come to us from capsula, a diminutive form of the Latin noun capsa, meaning “box.” (Capsa also gave us the “container” or “box” meaning of the noun case.) The earliest examples of encapsulate are for its literal use (“to enclose something in a capsule”) and date to the late 19th century. Its extended meaning, “to give a summary or synopsis of something,” plays on the notion of a capsule being something compact, self-contained, and often easily digestible.
Examples of encapsulate in a Sentence
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
The anecdote—which Paul Fischer recounts in his excellent new book, The Last Kings of Hollywood—encapsulates the complex relationship between Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg.
—Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Ideal for the ultimate no-makeup makeup look, for which Westman is known, the innovative blush harnesses biomimicry pigment technology, which lessens the risk of inflammation by encapsulating the synthetic pigments in the blush.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2026
This hour of dance encapsulates all that.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encapsulate
Cite this Entry
“Encapsulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encapsulate. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
encapsulate
verb
Medical Definition
encapsulate
verb
Paul Smaglik
