1
as in to circle
to travel completely around
communication satellites encircling the earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
The rehaut features deep-blue Tambour markings and modern numerals on a crisp white background, encircling a 24-hour GMT scale at a lower level.
—
Thor Svaboe, Robb Report, 2 Feb. 2026
Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National Assembly.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Within moments, a small crowd of counter-protesters encircled him.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
The Moroccan-style domed white villas, which encircle the place like sugar cubes, satisfy the pilgrim’s sense of arriving at a glamorous landmark conjured from the glossy magazines of her youth.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Thor Svaboe, Robb Report, 2 Feb. 2026
Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National Assembly.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Within moments, a small crowd of counter-protesters encircled him.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
The Moroccan-style domed white villas, which encircle the place like sugar cubes, satisfy the pilgrim’s sense of arriving at a glamorous landmark conjured from the glossy magazines of her youth.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircle
Verb
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Detectives noted a consistent gait and distinctive walking pattern across videos captured before and after the shooting, including footage showing the suspect circling the area for hours and later walking away from the Barus & Holley building shortly after the gunfire.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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By the time Victor Villa arrived at his restaurant Villa’s Tacos in Highland Park on Monday afternoon, a mob of press surrounded him, a line of customers had stretched down the block since daybreak, and cars and TV-news satellite trucks circled the parking lot, double parked in front of red curbs.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The hanging quickly devolves into an all-out bacchanal, as onlookers drink, dance and kiss in the square surrounding the flailing corpse.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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With supply stretched, these resources become more precious, and more expensive, for other businesses in the areas surrounding data center construction, according to Fordham University economics professor Marc Conte.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The wolf traversed through much of the Sierra Nevada and was part of a pack in Tulare County, which is located west of Fresno and just north of Bakersfield.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
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The disorder resulted in far fewer Palestinians traversing the border between Egypt and Gaza than was expected, nearly two years after Israel seized and shut the crossing.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To escape Earth’s energy crunch, SpaceX is taking AI to orbit, where near-constant solar energy replaces Earth’s strained power grids.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
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Central Florida’s growth conversations often orbit downtown Orlando, Lake Nona, Winter Park or the tourism corridor.—
Christopher Bellingham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encircle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircle. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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