encapsulate
verb
Did you know?
We’ll keep it brief by encapsulating the history of this word in just a few sentences. Encapsulate and its related noun, capsule, come to English (via French) from capsula, a diminutive form of the Latin noun capsa, meaning “box.” (Capsa also gave English the word case as it refers to a container or box—not to be confused with the case in “just in case,” which is a separate case.) The earliest examples of encapsulate are for its literal use, “to enclose something in a capsule,” and they date to the late 19th century. Its extended meaning, “to give a summary or synopsis of something,” plays on the notion of a capsule being something compact, self-contained, and often easily digestible.
Examples of encapsulate in a Sentence
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
The video went viral, encapsulating the prevalent mood of indignation about official nonaction.
—
Mery Mogollón,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
The lion seems to just encapsulate everything for me.
—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
28 June 2026
Ada’s overlapping cycles of initiation and desperation are intensely dramatic, but the movie’s hectic pace leaves each of them merely encapsulated in brief onscreen action or a few lines of dialogue, left undeveloped.
—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for encapsulate
Cite this Entry
“Encapsulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encapsulate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
encapsulate
verb
Medical Definition
encapsulate
verb
Paul Smaglik
