surround

play

verb sur·round \sə-ˈrau̇nd\

Definition of surround

transitive verb
1a (1) : to enclose on all sides : envelop the crowd surrounded her (2) : to enclose so as to cut off communication or retreat : investb : to form or be a member of the entourage of flatterers who surround the kingc : to constitute part of the environment of surrounded by povertyd : 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

See surround defined for English-language learners

See surround defined for kids

Examples of surround in a Sentence

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.

Origin and Etymology of surround

Middle English, to flood, inundate, from Anglo-French surunder, from Late Latin superundare, to overflow, from Latin super- + unda wave; influenced in meaning by ⁵round — more at water

NEW!

First Known Use: circa 1616

See Words from the same year

surround

noun sur·round

Definition of surround

: something (such as a border or ambient environment) that surrounds from urban centre to rural surround — Emrys Jones

See surround defined for English-language learners

Examples of surround in a Sentence

the vast, featureless surround of the desert was strangely appealing to him

Recent Examples of surround from the Web

The biggest problem is that Ubisoft didn't balance this series of repetitive sounds for surround sound systems.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Ubisoft wishes Watch Dogs 2 players a terrible Fourth of July [Updated]", 4 July 2017
For a modern look, choose large, rectangular tiles for shower surrounds and the floor.

— jennifer adams, Philly.com, "Ask Jennifer Adams: How to mix metal finishes", 23 June 2017
Isaiah was born in Eugene in 1998 and spent the first 11 years of his life in Oregon, growing up surround by all the green the Willamette Valley has to offer.

— tim brown, OregonLive.com, "Isaiah Hartenstein goes from Eugene to the NBA after being drafted by Houston Rockets", 22 June 2017
The AE-5 supports 5.1 analog surround audio, but Creative Labs knows the vast majority of gamers use headphones these days.

— gordon mah ung, PCWorld, "Hands-on: Creative Labs' Sound BlasterX AE-5 ups the audio for gamers", 12 June 2017
DTS Headphone:X is software that lets the headset reproduce the surround sound acoustics of a space.

— gieson cacho, The Mercury News, "Logitech G433 headset has style to go along with substance", 10 June 2017
But the turning circle of 38.4 feet is good for a vehicle of this size, and the surround-view camera system is a big help in tight parking.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid: Taking the green-checkered flag", 9 June 2017
SOUND AND EFFECTS 200: Speakers in the auditorium. 50: Speakers used to create the surround-sound effects. 85: Moving lights in the design. 4: Haze/smoke effects.

— dana oland marcus crowder, idahostatesman, "Magical, renowned ‘Phantom’ brings huge cast, giant chandelier to Boise for 16 shows", 8 June 2017
But making a surround-sound speaker is presumably only a small part of Apple’s thinking.

— edward baig, USA TODAY, "Apple's Siri speaker to challenge Google, Amazon", 4 June 2017

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

First Known Use of surround

1893

SURROUND Defined for English Language Learners

surround

play

verb

Definition of surround for English Language Learners

: to be on every side of (someone or something)
: to move close to (someone or something) on all sides often in order to stop a person from escaping
: to be closely related or connected to (something)

surround

noun

Definition of surround for English Language Learners

: a border or an area that is around the outside edge of something

SURROUND Defined for Kids

surround

play

verb sur·round \sə-ˈrau̇nd\

Definition of surround for Students

surrounded

;

surrounding

1 : to enclose on all sides : encircle A fence surrounds the property.
2 : to be closely related or connected to … my actions will help to dispel this terrible myth of evil that seems to surround rats everywhere. — Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux

Word Root of surround

The Latin word unda, meaning “wave,” gives us the root und. Words from the Latin unda have something to do with waves. To undulate is to move up and down like a wave. To inundate is to cover with a flood of waves. To surround, or encircle on all sides, is to enclose as if by waves. To abound is to be plentiful, like waves in the ocean.