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
Harm reduction can encompass a range of practices, including handing out free needles to slow the spread of disease, and many local leaders credit some of those efforts with recent drops in fatal overdoses.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
The certification currently applies to Longchamp’s leather goods division, the core of the business, but the assessment extended beyond raw material sourcing to encompass internal logistics, governance structures, supplier management and even event production and influencer marketing guidelines.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Feb. 2026
It was later expanded to encompass nine time zones, all defined by their difference from the global Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
The Feature section, which centers presentations of twentieth-century art, will encompass sixteen galleries, five of which are joining the show for the first time.
—News Desk, Artforum, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encompass
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Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
The certification currently applies to Longchamp’s leather goods division, the core of the business, but the assessment extended beyond raw material sourcing to encompass internal logistics, governance structures, supplier management and even event production and influencer marketing guidelines.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Feb. 2026
It was later expanded to encompass nine time zones, all defined by their difference from the global Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 19 Feb. 2026
The Feature section, which centers presentations of twentieth-century art, will encompass sixteen galleries, five of which are joining the show for the first time.
—News Desk, Artforum, 19 Feb. 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 23 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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