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

And then Salah danced past Sergio Ramos, a player whose grace and guile encapsulate his team. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "Real Madrid Beats Liverpool in Champions League Final on a Wonder and Two Blunders," 27 May 2018 The example of coal stocks outperforming the world market in the past 12 months encapsulates this notion. — WSJ, "Value Investing Is a Long-Term Commitment," 8 July 2018 The debate over requiring poor people to work to keep their health insurance encapsulates fundamentally different visions of the role of Medicaid, a program jointly funded by federal and state governments that now covers one in five Americans. — Abby Goodnough, New York Times, "Judge Strikes Down Kentucky’s Medicaid Work Rules," 29 June 2018 Taken as a whole the album beautifully encapsulates Frisell’s depth and range in all its meditative glory. — Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader, "Shape-shifting guitarist Bill Frisell beautifully sums up his meditative range on Music Is," 31 May 2018 As a child of the ’80s, Large finds that the entire program encapsulates a satisfying sense, or perhaps shock, of nostalgia. — Lawrence Elizabeth Knox, Houston Chronicle, "Houston Symphony presents a nostalgic journey of one-hit wonders," 25 May 2018 The collection, which is on display in Argentina for the first time, encapsulates popular culture imagery in North America from the 1970s to the present—with a healthy dose of edge. — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, "What to Do in Buenos Aires in June 2018," 24 May 2018 The Lees’ case encapsulates arguments made by housing advocates: Renting to tourists is so profitable that landlords are willing to flout the law to do so, which erodes the city’s supply of permanent housing. — Carolyn Said, San Francisco Chronicle, "Landlords turned 14 San Francisco apartments into illegal Airbnbs, suit says," 1 May 2018 The scene nicely encapsulates what is confounding and compelling about this new production. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, "In Saint Joan, Condola Rashad Stars as an Uneasy Heroine for Our Time," 26 Apr. 2018

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.