1
as in to limit
to set bounds or an upper limit for
circumscribed his enthusiasm so as not to make the losing side feel worse
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Recent Examples of circumscribe
The marketplace of ideas becomes skewed; the choices of buyers in that marketplace are circumscribed.
—
James L. Gibson, The Conversation, 26 June 2025
Analysts predicted all sorts of potential Iranian retaliatory measures of various sizes and scales, but Iran ultimately opted for an intense but circumscribed missile attack on the Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, resulting in no fatalities but more than 100 U.S. personnel with traumatic brain injuries.
—Uri Friedman, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025
Yet this project’s geography is circumscribed, its borders hedged.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Yet these men’s behavior was tightly circumscribed, at least in appearance.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumscribe
James L. Gibson, The Conversation, 26 June 2025
Analysts predicted all sorts of potential Iranian retaliatory measures of various sizes and scales, but Iran ultimately opted for an intense but circumscribed missile attack on the Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, resulting in no fatalities but more than 100 U.S. personnel with traumatic brain injuries.
—Uri Friedman, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025
Yet this project’s geography is circumscribed, its borders hedged.
—Daniel Felsenthal, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Yet these men’s behavior was tightly circumscribed, at least in appearance.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circumscribe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscribe
Verb
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However, their use has been limited by safety concerns.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
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Austria's Tyrol province limits truck transit on certain days to reduce congestion and environmental impact, a policy that has sparked disputes with Italy.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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My vision is not only to make products but to create, co-own and empower a portfolio of category-defining beauty wellness successes.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
19 Sep. 2025
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Many define empathy differently or fail to define it at all; others fail to use control groups, do not report effect sizes, or contain other errors and omissions that make the studies difficult to compare.—
Rachel Pearson,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But McTavish joined New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes as the only high-profile restricted free agents to have reached the opening of training camp sans contract extension.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
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The other 47 carries resulted in either no gain or positive yards, which enables Shanahan to stay out of the third-and-long situations that restrict play-calling.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In November and December, the above normal fire risk is mainly confined to southern California.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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These materials will be used to build the powerful magnets that form a magnetic cage to confine plasma heated to temperatures exceeding 150 million degrees Celsius (302 million degrees Fahrenheit).—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circumscribe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscribe. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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