1
as in to nestle
to establish or place comfortably or snugly the kids had contentedly ensconced themselves on the couch before the TV happily ensconced in her new home

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2
as in to conceal
to put into a hiding place ensconced the spare house key in a place where no intruder would think to look

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ensconce And with the President safely ensconced behind the castle walls, the royal charm offensive has begun in earnest. Amanda Castro hannah Parry shane Croucher jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025 Quick-witted and unapologetically direct, he has long been ensconced in notable New York City circles. Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2025 His hand, protectively ensconced in a sliding mitt, touched the bag before the tag. Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025 Other additions to the Messages app, at least for people safely ensconced in a group of blue-bubble friends, are live-updating polls, and typing indicators that tell you which person in a group chat is typing. ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ensconce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ensconce
Verb
  • There are no direction markers, no information board to explain that here, nestled between an air-conditioner repair shop and a gaming cafe, lies one of Brazilian football’s holy sites.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Enchantment Resort is an upscale oasis nestled in the canyon.
    Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Her open limbs dangle all over the velvet, her pubic triangle hardly concealed.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2025
  • What begins as a crime caper morphs into an unexpected rom-com as Jeff spends more time with Leigh’s family and even joins her local church, all while concealing his real identity and living behind a display of bicycles at Leigh’s workplace.
    Keaton Bell, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Israel will publish the list of the prisoners — and victims of their attacks have 24 hours to lodge objections.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The visitors bureau receives most of its revenue from taxes on lodging places and restaurants, which totaled close to $19 million in 2024.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The choice to bury dialogue gave each location and line its own sense of importance, even if they are buried in another chapter.
    Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
  • However, detailed observations are now making a strong case for an ocean on Mimas buried under 12 to 19 miles (20 to 30 kilometers) of solid ice.
    Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Last year, moments included a violinist perched 15 feet in the air with a cascading 20-foot dress, a crew of mythic horsehead creatures, the Raven, the Jester, Cersei, and Arachnea.
    Jenny Adams, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Two seats for passengers in the back fold beneath the area where a casket would perch.
    Laura Lane, USA Today, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Of course, the bags don’t actually hide anything; in fact, they are reserved specifically for, and definitively signal, the drinking of alcohol.
    Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The measure, which has failed to make it through the Legislature twice before, would require insurance companies to cover additional screenings, like an MRI, for women diagnosed with breast tissue that can hide cancer from traditional mammograms.
    Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • It was situated in an alcove, positioned in the shine of a colored light.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
  • After a rookie campaign that earned him unanimous Rookie of the Year honors and positioned him as one of the league’s elite defenders, his sophomore season was cut short by a shoulder blood clot.
    Evan Dammarell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This is called a bifurcation, or a point where a system can settle into one of two different stable states, depending on small differences in conditions.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
  • That said, there’s a real sense that the dust is starting to settle.
    Paul Chai, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ensconce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ensconce. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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