envelop

verb

en·​vel·​op in-ˈve-ləp 

en-

enveloped; enveloping; envelops

transitive verb

1

: to enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering

2

: to mount an attack on (an enemy's flank)

envelopment

in-ˈve-ləp-mənt 

en-

noun

Synonyms

• house
• enclose
• surround
• encase
• confine
• include
• inclose

Examples of envelop in a Sentence

a chronic mistrust of outsiders envelops that neighborhood, cutting it off from the rest of the city

the truth of the presidential assassination is enveloped in a dense fog of myths and conspiracy theories

Recent Examples on the Web

Gradually, the darkness surrounding them gave way to buildings and overhead lights, until the red of dawn enveloped the coast alongside them. —Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025

Gnawing paranoia inevitably awakens Pynchon’s characters to the matrix of control enveloping their lives. —John Lopez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025

Next is Boll’s bedroom, a smallish, enveloping cabin. —Laura Bannister, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025

In In Farthest Seas, this silence is visual, too, the white of the page surrounding and almost enveloping the brief, revelatory chapters. —Brian Robert Moore september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English envolupen, from Anglo-French envoluper, envoleper, from en- + voluper to wrap

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for envelop

• develop
• redevelop

Kids Definition

envelop

verb

en·​vel·​op in-ˈvel-əp 

: to surround and enclose completely with or as if with a covering

envelopment

-mənt 

noun