1
as in to circle
to travel completely around
communication satellites encircling the earth
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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 polar jet stream is a ribbon of air that encircles the Northern Hemisphere at high altitudes and determines atmospheric pressure patterns.
—
Evan Bush, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
Instead of forming a concentric pattern around Katmai, the ash encircled Novarupta.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Our beautiful encircling topography of mountains and hills is a bowl ready-made by ancient plate tectonics to be filled with smoke and smog.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Gold murals encircle the main dining room, telling the history of Napa’s great grapes, from Zinfandel to Cabernet Sauvignon.
—Annemarie Dooling, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Evan Bush, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
Instead of forming a concentric pattern around Katmai, the ash encircled Novarupta.
—Quanta Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Our beautiful encircling topography of mountains and hills is a bowl ready-made by ancient plate tectonics to be filled with smoke and smog.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Gold murals encircle the main dining room, telling the history of Napa’s great grapes, from Zinfandel to Cabernet Sauvignon.
—Annemarie Dooling, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircle
Verb
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As a 10-day moon-circling mission, Artemis II primarily serves as a test flight, with the four-person crew testing systems and hardware ahead of a future landing.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The crew plans to circle the moon as a step toward a lunar landing in 2028 (similar to the way Apollo 8's flight around the moon paved the way for Apollo 11).—
Aaron Gilchrist,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Video showed police forming a barrier between plainclothes ICE officers and surrounding crowds.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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One skeleton estimated at 10,000–12,000 years old was surrounded by evidence of bonfires, possibly indicating funerary rituals involving light.—
Ryan Brennan
April 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Whether clients are traversing by foot, vehicle, or plane, ALE provides the infrastructure for them.—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
29 Mar. 2026
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Kamai trains in celestial navigation, using the stars, winds and waves to traverse the ocean without modern instruments.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Together, these two programs have lofted a total of more than 1,600 payloads to orbit — including 143 on Transporter-1 in January 2021, which still holds the single-launch record.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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The world’s first lunar visitors orbited the moon on Apollo 8.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encircle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircle. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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