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
Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2026
Nearly 500 interviews with couples from 1937 through the 1980s, the breadth of which daughter Dorothy sorts through over a season, her father’s life’s work encapsulated in 25 large cardboard boxes.
—Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
No other sequence this year has better encapsulated why the Nuggets desperately need Gordon healthy.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
In many ways, the mozzarella cart encapsulated the Hypsi experience.
—Restaurant Critic, Houston Chronicle, 8 Apr. 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 13 Apr. 2026.
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encapsulate
verb
Medical Definition
encapsulate
verb
Paul Smaglik
