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
The area encompasses about 25,000 streets, which candidates must learn by heart.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
If passed, the restriction would encompass all public school districts and charter schools, ranging from kindergarten through the California State University system and California State University.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Texas dominated many national rankings in the report as well, with the ZIP code encompassing the Dallas suburb of Crandall ranking second on the list and a more urban Dallas ZIP code ranking 10th.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Our partner's strategy now encompasses the Trefis High Quality Portfolio, which is known for consistently outperforming its benchmarks, which include all three indices – the S&P 500, S&P mid-cap, and Russell 2000.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
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Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
If passed, the restriction would encompass all public school districts and charter schools, ranging from kindergarten through the California State University system and California State University.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Texas dominated many national rankings in the report as well, with the ZIP code encompassing the Dallas suburb of Crandall ranking second on the list and a more urban Dallas ZIP code ranking 10th.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Our partner's strategy now encompasses the Trefis High Quality Portfolio, which is known for consistently outperforming its benchmarks, which include all three indices – the S&P 500, S&P mid-cap, and Russell 2000.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encompass
Cite this Entry
“Encompass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encompass. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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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