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
James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025
The inhabitants of the Buffalo River Valley and the surrounding area did surprisingly well during the Great Depression, relying on their gardens and cornfields.
—arkansasonline.com, 6 July 2025
Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
The sculpture is made of wood, which Hepworth had to obtain a special permit to carve, and colored string, which, stretched tautly within the gap of the white ovoid form, represents her experience of the tensions between herself and her natural surrounds at the time.
—News Desk, Artforum, 5 June 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
Its picture windows offer more views of the surrounding countryside while the room itself can be organized for a wide range of activities including children’s games, a home theater, table games, and seating for large or small gatherings.
—James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025
The inhabitants of the Buffalo River Valley and the surrounding area did surprisingly well during the Great Depression, relying on their gardens and cornfields.
—arkansasonline.com, 6 July 2025
Noun
Both add tone-on-tone details including wood panels on the doors and dash, narrow slashes of chrome and a rose gold surround on the floating center console which nicely sets it apart from the storage bin beneath.
—Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
The sculpture is made of wood, which Hepworth had to obtain a special permit to carve, and colored string, which, stretched tautly within the gap of the white ovoid form, represents her experience of the tensions between herself and her natural surrounds at the time.
—News Desk, Artforum, 5 June 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 18 Jul. 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