encompass

verb

en·com·pass | \ in-ˈkəm-pəs

, en- also -ˈkäm-\

encompassed; encompassing; encompasses

Definition of encompass

transitive verb

1a : include, comprehend a plan that encompasses a number of aims

b : envelop

2a : to form a circle about : enclose

b obsolete : to go completely around

3 : bring about, accomplish encompass a task

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Examples of encompass in a Sentence

The district encompasses most of the downtown area. a neighborhood encompassed by a highway

Recent Examples on the Web

Beijing sees Djibouti as part of its multitrillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative that encompasses seaports in a range of nations, including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Greece and Belgium. — Costas Paris, WSJ, "China Tightens Grip on East African Port," 21 Feb. 2019 Truthfully, sustainability is an umbrella term that encompasses all of the above, and then some. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "4 Ways the CFDA’s New Sustainability Report Will Change Your Fashion Week Conversations," 16 Jan. 2019 Amazon’s Virginia offices will be in a part of Arlington that local politicians and Amazon are calling National Landing, an area around Reagan National Airport that encompasses Crystal City and Potomac Yard. — Joseph Pisani, The Seattle Times, "Amazon goes bicoastal, will open HQs in New York, DC suburb," 14 Nov. 2018 Detroit City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday in favor of the creation of a historic district, just south of Little Caesars Arena, that encompasses several properties owned by the Ilitch family. — Allie Gross, Detroit Free Press, "How new Detroit historic district impacts the Ilitch family," 10 July 2018 In the past decade, the student population here has shrunk by 250, down to 1,300 kids in a rural district that encompasses more than 400 square miles. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "A new public education movement is emerging in Wisconsin, a rebuke to Gov. Walker’s war on labor and school privatization," 3 July 2018 Aldermen agreed to amend a campus plan first put together in 2004 that encompasses an almost 46-acre area mainly bordered by Gladstone Avenue, Evanslawn Avenue, Marseillaise Place and Prairie Street. — Steve Lord, Aurora Beacon-News, "City Council OKs new plans for Aurora University, West Plaza," 29 June 2018 The series will tell the brutal true story of Christopher Columbus and the first Wild West frontier, the tropical Caribbean island that now encompasses the Dominican Republic and Haiti. — Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, "Dana Brunetti Launches New Film and TV Company Cavalry Media (Exclusive)," 26 June 2018 In reality, Waterford Lakes is part of a burgeoning area that also encompasses numerous housing developments. — Michael Candelaria, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Waterford Lakes Neighborhood Guide," 21 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'encompass.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.