as in surrounding
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1
as in circling
to travel completely around
communication satellites encircling the earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in encompassing
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 encircling
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Mar. 2026
Mercy Culture’s pastors hung a candidate’s banner behind the pulpit, endorsed politicians during Sunday services, said that people who vote for Democrats weren’t truly Christian, and described Kamala Harris as a demonic Jezebel taking the form of a snake encircling the White House.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Soon, that quarter-mile area encircling the Rockridge BART Station may be forced to welcome apartment complexes as tall as 75 feet, or roughly seven stories — more than double the 35-foot limit that the city currently allows.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
The sprawling Discover campus features a complex of four buildings encircling a large retention pond.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Houseplant roots that are damaged, encircling, or severely overgrown can be pruned back slightly to rejuvenate the plant and free up space in the pot.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2026
That has proven to be very successful in getting oaks off to a quick start without formation of encircling roots within the pots.
—Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 6 Feb. 2026
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
America’s most powerful military assets have now convened in the Middle East, encircling Iran and preparing to strike it from land, air, and sea.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
The rooms Spread over a handful of buildings encircling the central courtyard, Aleenta Retreat's 44 rooms range from spacious deluxe rooms with lounge-y balconies to two-story residences with two bedrooms and a small private courtyard with a plunge pool.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Mar. 2026
Mercy Culture’s pastors hung a candidate’s banner behind the pulpit, endorsed politicians during Sunday services, said that people who vote for Democrats weren’t truly Christian, and described Kamala Harris as a demonic Jezebel taking the form of a snake encircling the White House.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
Soon, that quarter-mile area encircling the Rockridge BART Station may be forced to welcome apartment complexes as tall as 75 feet, or roughly seven stories — more than double the 35-foot limit that the city currently allows.
—Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
The sprawling Discover campus features a complex of four buildings encircling a large retention pond.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Houseplant roots that are damaged, encircling, or severely overgrown can be pruned back slightly to rejuvenate the plant and free up space in the pot.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2026
That has proven to be very successful in getting oaks off to a quick start without formation of encircling roots within the pots.
—Neil Sperry, San Antonio Express-News, 6 Feb. 2026
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
America’s most powerful military assets have now convened in the Middle East, encircling Iran and preparing to strike it from land, air, and sea.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircling
Adjective
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Since then, the bustling market serves the surrounding and significant Latino community and others.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Georgia has a tentative date for its annual spring scrimmage, with the Bulldogs circling April 18 for the team’s G-Day game.—
Connor Riley,
AJC.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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Almost seven years after starting to build out its broadband constellation in low Earth orbit, SpaceX now has more than 10,000 active Starlink satellites circling the planet.—
Robert Z. Pearlman,
Space.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The saints’ days are celebrated, the great days of history are celebrated, and they’re celebrated with this sort of enormous exuberance and deep investment that is somehow very, very touching, very embracing, and very inclusive.—
Terry Ward,
AFAR Media,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The two upcoming spacewalks will be first ISS EVAs of 2026, the first for the orbiting lab's current Expedition 74 and the 278th and 279th overall in the outpost's lifetime.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
18 Mar. 2026
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For about 6 1/2 hours, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams will be outside the orbiting laboratory doing work to lay the groundwork for the future installation of solar arrays.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Gateway is modified to first repair the old 1910 tunnel immediately and construct a more economical new tunnel (without expensive and unneeded bench walls and cross-connecting passageways) and link it directly into Penn Station.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
16 Feb. 2026
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So mature, his conviction, his instincts, his fearlessness, and to give something which is so different yet so connecting.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Like Samut, Chawarit had had misgivings about traversing the strait, his wife Suchawadee Malikaeo told CNN.—
Kocha Olarn,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
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If tensions ease and tankers start traversing the waterway sooner, estimates of how much consumers could spend on gas would change, Neale Mahoney, director of the Stanford Institute, told CBS News.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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At times, groups of works are organized around joined tables, on top of which are placed perishables preserved in lead, resin, or plaster.—
Li Qi,
Artforum,
6 Mar. 2026
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Bhusri founded Workday with best friend and mentor Dave Duffield in 2005 before the two joined forces as co-CEOs in 2009.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Additionally, the building has access to an attached garage.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
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In warmer months, the attached deck would be a great space to enjoy coffee, breakfast, or a sunset happy hour.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encircling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircling. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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