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You might think of a sconce (the word that when combined with the prefix en- forms ensconce) as a type of candleholder or lamp, but the word can also refer to a defensive fortification, usually one made of earth. Originally, then, a person who was ensconced was enclosed in or concealed by such a structure, out of harm's way. One of the earliest writers to apply the verb ensconce with the general sense of "hide" was William Shakespeare. In The Merry Wives of Windsor the character Falstaff, hoping to avoid detection when he is surprised during an amorous moment with Mrs. Ford, says "She shall not see me; I will ensconce me behind the arras."
Examples of ensconce in a Sentence
Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
In other words, worlds apart from the one in which Lucien is ensconced.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
Over time, these tools flattened our arguments, our politics, our culture, compressing them into the same endless fights, such that people became ensconced in their own bespoke realities.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Athletic are safely ensconced in mid-table, with little to play for in the run-in.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ensconce
Cite this Entry
“Ensconce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ensconce. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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ensconce
verb
