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 English (via French) from capsula, a diminutive form of the Latin noun capsa, meaning “box.” (Capsa also gave English the word case as it refers to a container or box—not to be confused with the case in “just in case,” which is a separate case.) The earliest examples of encapsulate are for its literal use, “to enclose something in a capsule,” and they 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
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
One stat that encapsulates the 2025 Cowboys After the first day of free agency, the Dallas Cowboys were the only team in the NFL that had not seen one of their internal free agents sign elsewhere.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026
The law encapsulates an approach under Xi that has promoted unity over ethnic cultures and their languages.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
Because there were so many novels, the first of which published in 1990, Sarnoff wanted to find a way to encapsulate the 1990s timelines from the early books alongside the more contemporary ones.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 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 17 Mar. 2026.
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encapsulate
verb
Medical Definition
encapsulate
verb
Paul Smaglik
