1
as in wrapping
to encircle or bind with or as if with a belt
trees girdled the campus, essentially hiding it from view wire girdling the bundle of firewood
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in circling
to travel completely around
an asteroid belt that girdles the inner planets of the solar system
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in surrounding
to form a circle around
the rings that famously girdle the planet Saturn
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Recent Examples of girdling
Removing this layer restricts the tree from moving water up from the roots or nutrients back down, a process known as girdling.
—
Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for girdling
Verb
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Dearfoams Moritz Booties Okay, imagine wrapping your feet in a blanket—that’s exactly what these Dearfoams booties feel like.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Jan. 2026
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On the day Ujlaky vanished, prosecutors alleged Dickey choked her by wrapping a ligature around her neck before raping her and slashing her throat, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The investigation revealed the controller, distracted by a third plane circling the airport, delayed clearing the SkyWest flight for takeoff and failed to monitor the runway and airspace adequately.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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As soon as Robinson snapped the blade in, Khusnutdinov jumped onto the ice and joined the weave in the offensive zone, dropping the puck for the circling Pastrnak, who then executed the pretty give-and-go with McAvoy for the winner.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Members must live or attend school in central San Diego or the surrounding area.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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The victim has not yet been identified and detectives did not share details on the circumstances surrounding the man's death.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Over the coming years, a team of 57 scientists and local guides explored all the major rivers and tributaries of the Okavango Delta, traversing this vast landscape in dugout canoes, on motorbikes, on foot, and in armored vehicles.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
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What consumers need is someone and something focused on the actual experience of traversing the fractured content universe.—
Howard Homonoff,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The original Imperial Hotel, an icon of the encircling Ginza neighborhood, was constructed in 1923 by Frank Lloyd Wright.—
Brad Japhe,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
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The silhouette also included a slender strap encircling the ankle.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This does not prevent the sports-media ecosystem from orbiting around prediction-making, an obsession that has only ballooned in the age of legal sports betting.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Girdling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girdling. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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