enclosure

noun

en·​clo·​sure in-ˈklō-zhər 

en-

variants or less commonly inclosure

in-ˈklō-zhər 

1

: the act or action of enclosing : the quality or state of being enclosed

2

: something that encloses

3

: something enclosed

a letter with two enclosures

Synonyms of enclosure

• courtyard
• patio
• yard
• quadrangle

Examples of enclosure in a Sentence

During the day the horses are kept in an enclosure.

a letter with two enclosures

One of the enclosures was a photograph.

the enclosure of a photograph with a letter

the enclosure of the garden

Recent Examples on the Web

Last November, 43 Rhesus macaques escaped from a South Carolina compound that breeds them for medical research after an enclosure wasn’t fully locked. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

One of those enclosures belonged to the new troop from Morgan Island. —Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Conway Morris points to intelligence in other animals — such as crows using tools, dolphins solving problems, and octopuses escaping enclosures — as evidence that cognition has emerged multiple times in different ways. —Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025

But when a mother (Olivia Horton) throws her toddler into a moat surrounding an enclosure full of prowling lions at the zoo, puzzle pieces come together like a satanic symbol. —Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for enclosure

• composure
• cynosure
• disclosure
• exposure
• foreclosure
• inclosure
• closure
• crozier
• hosier
• mosher
• nondisclosure
• postexposure

Kids Definition

enclosure

noun

en·​clo·​sure

variants also inclosure

in-ˈklō-zhər

1

: the act of enclosing : the state of being enclosed

2

: an enclosed space

3

: something (as a fence) that encloses

4

: something enclosed

a letter with two enclosures