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
As of Wednesday morning, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.
—
Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2025
In that vein, centering a parent-child relationship like Flamingo and Lidia’s (and having several transgender aunts look out for a cisgender child by encircling her like a lion’s pride) is a stern rebuke of bigoted narratives about trans predation.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 May 2025
As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2025
There are single and double cultivars offering variations on the classic yellow center encircled by white petals.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 June 2025
In that vein, centering a parent-child relationship like Flamingo and Lidia’s (and having several transgender aunts look out for a cisgender child by encircling her like a lion’s pride) is a stern rebuke of bigoted narratives about trans predation.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 May 2025
As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2025
There are single and double cultivars offering variations on the classic yellow center encircled by white petals.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircle
Verb
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Two people, circling each other, face-to-face, trying to—through that close looking—gauge each other’s interest in limits and limitations, in line-crossing.—
Hanif Abdurraqib
June 12,
Literary Hub,
12 June 2025
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Share your favorite joke, show him a funny video on your phone, or introduce him to the latest meme circling the internet.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
11 June 2025
Verb
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But the actions to roll back protections for the Boundary Waters and surrounding public lands can only be taken one of two ways, according to Lyons: either through legislation in Congress or via executive action.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
12 June 2025
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Every state surrounding Iowa required less education to get a barber’s license.—
Andrew Wimer,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
Verb
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In the sneak peek clip, an array of ocean animals traverse great distances in search of food, including travelling to seamounts — underwater mountains up to three miles high.—
Kelli Bender,
People.com,
5 June 2025
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But, given the unlimited wonders accessible to the owner of a TARDIS that can traverse all of space and time, the Doctor's ongoing obsession with Earth and its people (particularly the UK) seems slightly incongruous.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Mars Odyssey and MAVEN are two spacecrafts that have been orbiting Mars for years.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
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Psyche is a nickel-iron core asteroid that orbits the sun beyond Mars anywhere from 235 million to 309 million miles away.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encircle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircle. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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