encompass
verb
en·com·pass
in-ˈkəm-pəs 
en-
also -ˈkäm-
encompassed; encompassing; encompasses
1
: to include as a part of a whole or group
a plan that encompasses a number of aims
The ranch encompasses more than 2,500 acres of prime forest …—
Stuart D. Strahl
Stuart D. StrahlThat success soon mushroomed into an empire encompassing toys, games, animations and all manner of consumer gewgaws.—Charlie Campbell
Charlie Campbell2
3
dated
: bring about, accomplish
… Jiu Jitsu, the … art of making an opponent use his strength to encompass his own defeat.—TIME
TIMEExamples of encompass in a Sentence
The district encompasses most of the downtown area.
a neighborhood encompassed by a highway
Recent Examples on the Web
But Moore’s story shows that the Black-nationalist movement also encompassed people who were willing to find areas of compromise in order to get the job done.
—Dara T. Mathis, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Hoffman, whose district encompasses the city, gave a bleak account of the raid's aftermath at the business Crumbs and Coffee.
—Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
That came in the wake of large-scale ICE operations that began in Nashville in early May and by late June had swelled to encompass more than 500 arrests.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Dec. 2025
The category is wide ranging and encompasses everything from salty snacks to deli meats.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encompass
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Dara T. Mathis, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Hoffman, whose district encompasses the city, gave a bleak account of the raid's aftermath at the business Crumbs and Coffee.
—Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
That came in the wake of large-scale ICE operations that began in Nashville in early May and by late June had swelled to encompass more than 500 arrests.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Dec. 2025
The category is wide ranging and encompasses everything from salty snacks to deli meats.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encompass
Cite this Entry
“Encompass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encompass. Accessed 19 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
encompass
verb
en·com·pass
in-ˈkəm-pəs
-ˈkäm-
1
: to form a circle about : surround
2
a
: to cover or surround especially so as to hide or protect
b
: to take in as a part : include
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