1
as in circled
to travel completely around
communication satellites encircling the earth
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2
as in surrounded
to form a circle around
immediately after announcing their engagement, the couple was encircled by their applauding friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of encircled
The rock was encircled by a whopping 58 more pink diamonds, plus one half-moon diamond on either side.
—
Christina Perrier, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
Its head doesn’t resemble the shape of a skull, like most other humanoids, but instead a cylinder with a flat face encircled by a ring of light.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Within moments, a small crowd of counter-protesters encircled him.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
The young woman’s remains were found encircled by about 10 dingoes, Australia's native wild dogs, on the beach north of Maheno Wreck, Wide Bay District Inspector Paul Algie previously announced in a press conference.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Scherr’s teammates encircled her until trainers were able to get to her.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Jan. 2026
Being encircled by fans who might not be so happy about your team’s reversal of fortune can add to the anxiety.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Some thought the mystery bore a direct relation to the green tangle that tightly encircled the two dozen shacks balanced precariously between the rain forest and the yellowish waters.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
While encircled outside his locker Saturday, disappointed in the result but proud of his team’s effort, Coker answered questions about his career game.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Jan. 2026
Christina Perrier, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
Its head doesn’t resemble the shape of a skull, like most other humanoids, but instead a cylinder with a flat face encircled by a ring of light.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Within moments, a small crowd of counter-protesters encircled him.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
The young woman’s remains were found encircled by about 10 dingoes, Australia's native wild dogs, on the beach north of Maheno Wreck, Wide Bay District Inspector Paul Algie previously announced in a press conference.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Scherr’s teammates encircled her until trainers were able to get to her.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Jan. 2026
Being encircled by fans who might not be so happy about your team’s reversal of fortune can add to the anxiety.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Some thought the mystery bore a direct relation to the green tangle that tightly encircled the two dozen shacks balanced precariously between the rain forest and the yellowish waters.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
While encircled outside his locker Saturday, disappointed in the result but proud of his team’s effort, Coker answered questions about his career game.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 11 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircled
Verb
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Yet up and down the trunk, the tree was circled with new feathery foliage, vibrantly green and healthy.—
Jeanette Marantos,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Which neighborhood is being circled by ICE, which neighbor is being yanked from their house and needs observers documenting ASAP!—
Angela Pelster,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Best of all is the installation-style curation, with paintings surrounded by clusters of artifacts from the same period.—
Clodagh Kinsella,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Now surrounded by trendy cafés selling matcha lattes, his boutique is filled to the brim with hunting jackets, tuxedos, dress shoes and tweed caps.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In that same period, the total distance traversed by ships in the Arctic increased 111%.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The design is meant to reorient us, to take us on a trail walked not by humans but traversed and carved by elephants, a creature still misunderstood, vilified and hunted for its cataclysmic-like ability to reshape land, and sometimes communities.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Some 350 light-years away, the V1298 Tau system features an infant sun-like star, just 23 million years old, orbited by four planets on compact orbits close to their star, and all of which are seen to transit.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Per The Monroe News, all three women are credited with working on the 1962 Friendship 7 mission, during which astronaut Glenn orbited the Earth, settling the score with the Soviets, who had accomplished the feat roughly one year prior.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encircled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircled. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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