encapsulate

verb

en·cap·su·late | \ in-ˈkap-sə-ˌlāt

, en-\

encapsulated; encapsulating

Definition of encapsulate

transitive verb

1 : to enclose in or as if in a capsule a pilot encapsulated in the cockpit

2 : epitomize, summarize encapsulate an era in an aphorism

intransitive verb

: to become encapsulated

Other Words from encapsulate Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about encapsulate

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Did You Know?

Encapsulate and its related noun, "capsule," derive from "capsula," a diminutive form of the Latin noun capsa, meaning "box." "Capsa" also gave us our noun "case" (the container kind; the legal sense has a different origin). The original sense of encapsulate, meaning "to enclose something in a capsule," first appeared in the late 19th century. Its extended meaning, "to give a summary or synopsis of something," plays on the notion of a capsule as something compact, self-contained, and often easily digestible (as in a capsule of medicine). There is also a verb "capsule," which is more or less synonymous with "encapsulate."

Examples of encapsulate in a Sentence

The contaminated material should be encapsulated and removed. can you encapsulate the president's speech in about a paragraph?

Recent Examples on the Web

The Verdict: Red Dead Redemption II is a technical marvel, attempting to encapsulate one man’s story in the West. — Daniel Starkey, Ars Technica, "Red Dead Redemption II review: Getting muddy in the wide-open frontier," 25 Oct. 2018 Last year’s two-point win against Texas A&M encapsulated the team concept in what is viewed as a solitary sport. — Edgar Thompson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UF track and field coach Mike Holloway has Gator men, women on cusp of NCAA titles," 7 June 2018 No shot encapsulated their second-half dominance quite like Curry's 30-foot three-pointer halfway through the third quarter. — Sam Amick, USA TODAY, "Steph Curry, Warriors eliminate Pelicans to reach fourth consecutive Western Conference finals," 9 May 2018 This just so fully encapsulates my philosophy about living with a partner. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "This Duvet Cover for Couples Is Actually Genius," 7 Jan. 2019 And Barstool Sports has released an ugly Christmas sweater that perfectly encapsulates all my holiday thoughts. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "This Noah Centineo Ugly Christmas Sweater is the Holiday Miracle We All Deserve," 7 Dec. 2018 The Seahawks broke open their 27-3 victory over the Raiders in London on Sunday with a play encapsulates all that makes Russell Wilson special — and that also showed the increasing confidence Seattle’s offense is playing with. — Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times, "Seahawks Play of the Week: Bad snaps don’t always kill the play when you have Russell Wilson at QB," 16 Oct. 2018 These listening posts would have their own torpedo mines—encapsulated homing torpedoes anchored to the seabed and launched on command—to intercept the apocalypse torpedo. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "How Can We Stop Russia’s Apocalypse Nuke Torpedo?," 16 Aug. 2018 The effort to get more water under the bumpy two-lane black top, originally launched by Congress in 1989, has encapsulated all the numbing delays, doubts and disputes that have dogged the broader plans to restore the Everglades. — Curtis Morgan, miamiherald, "A bridge to help heal the Everglades," 19 Mar. 2013

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'encapsulate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.