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surroundings

plural noun
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sur·​round·​ings | \ sə-ˈrau̇n-diŋz How to pronounce surroundings (audio) \

Definition of surroundings

: the circumstances, conditions, or objects by which one is surrounded : environment
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Examples of surroundings in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Nestled on a busy North London high street brimming with corner stores, betting shops, and cafés, Etles’s bright-blue exterior stands in marked contrast to much of its surroundings—a differentiation befitting of its distinctive offerings. — Yasmeen Serhan, The Atlantic, "Saving Uighur Culture From Genocide," 4 Oct. 2020 Kai is an independent kid, who uses echolocation to be aware of his surroundings. — Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Briefing: Taking on another coronavirus metric," 2 Oct. 2020 Kai Wang, at home in Berkeley, has become adept at echolocation — the practice of clicking one’s tongue to hear sound bounce off objects — to be aware of his surroundings. — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, "He’s 7 and blind. How will he learn remotely?," 28 Sep. 2020 Be aware of your surroundings and don’t invade other people’s space. — Alixel Cabrera, The Salt Lake Tribune, "8 ways to ‘mind your pandemic manners’ when dining at a Utah restaurant," 19 Sep. 2020 But your surroundings will absolutely make up for all the effort. — Sarah Sekula, USA TODAY, "Heading to Seattle? Here's how to fit in day trips to national parks like Mount Rainier," 29 Sep. 2020 But mind your surroundings — as there's still plenty of puss. — Megan Decker, refinery29.com, "Dr. Pimple Popper Is Back With Her “Most Extensive Case Yet”," 24 Sep. 2020 The snowy skin, meanwhile, is an anomaly in the boundary between the body of a living man and his inanimate surroundings. — Jeremy England, WSJ, "The Creator’s Calling Card," 24 Sep. 2020 The Echo Show can also be used as a surveillance system, rotating periodically to record its surroundings. — Irina Ivanova, CBS News, "Amazon launches flying drone camera for the home," 24 Sep. 2020

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

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First Known Use of surroundings

1841, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for surroundings

Time Traveler

The first known use of surroundings was in 1841

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Statistics for surroundings

Last Updated

15 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Surroundings.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surroundings. Accessed 21 Oct. 2020.

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More Definitions for surroundings

surroundings

noun
How to pronounce surroundings (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of surroundings

: the places, conditions, or objects that are around you

surroundings

noun plural
sur·​round·​ings | \ sə-ˈrau̇n-diŋz How to pronounce surroundings (audio) \

Kids Definition of surroundings

: the circumstances, conditions, or things around an individual : environment

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More from Merriam-Webster on surroundings

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for surroundings

Nglish: Translation of surroundings for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of surroundings for Arabic Speakers

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