sur·round
sə-ˈrau̇nd 
surrounded; surrounding; surrounds
1
a(1)
: to enclose on all sides : envelop
the crowd surrounded her
(2)
: to enclose so as to cut off communication or retreat : invest entry 2
b
: to form or be a member of the entourage of
flatterers who surround the king
c
: to constitute part of the environment of
surrounded by poverty
d
: to extend around the margin or edge of : encircle
a wall surrounds the old city
2
: to cause to be surrounded by something
surrounded himself with friends
: something (such as a border or ambient environment) that surrounds
from urban centre to rural surround—
Emrys Jones
Emrys JonesExamples of surround in a Sentence
Verb
A wall surrounds the old city.
They had the suspect surrounded.
She was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of excited fans.
There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the decision.
His departure was surrounded by secrecy.
Noun
the vast, featureless surround of the desert was strangely appealing to him
Recent Examples on the Web
Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
Snowfall: None James Mayo / Chicago Tribune 1 of 10
A crowd surrounds a burning squad car during unrest in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago on June 12, 1966.
1966: In Humboldt Park, white Chicago police Officer Thomas Munyon shot Arcelis Cruz, a young Puerto Rican man, in the leg.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025
Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 30 May 2025
There’s no escaping the large kidney grille, but a new mesh pattern enhances things, and buyers can now specify an illuminated grille surround.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for surround
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
More than a hundred law enforcement officers surrounded them on the block.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
Snowfall: None James Mayo / Chicago Tribune 1 of 10
A crowd surrounds a burning squad car during unrest in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago on June 12, 1966.
1966: In Humboldt Park, white Chicago police Officer Thomas Munyon shot Arcelis Cruz, a young Puerto Rican man, in the leg.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025
Noun
Its sound quality is superb, with deep bass and crisp, clear vocals, and the DTS Headphone:X surround tech adds a lot to the experience.
—Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 30 May 2025
There’s no escaping the large kidney grille, but a new mesh pattern enhances things, and buyers can now specify an illuminated grille surround.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for surround
Cite this Entry
“Surround.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surround. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
surround
1 of 2 verb
sur·round
sə-ˈrau̇nd
: to enclose on all sides : encircle
surround
2 of 2 noun
: something (as a border) that surrounds
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share