1
as in to circle
to travel completely around
communication satellites encircling the earth
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2
as in to surround
to form a circle around
immediately after announcing their engagement, the couple was encircled by their applauding friends
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encircle
The designs feature a star with water and green hills; a whale in water with a white bird underneath; and three turkey feathers encircling a chickadee.
—
Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
After eons of construction, the bandages came off Willoughby Square last year to reveal Abolitionist Place, a one-acre enclave of greenery, water, leisure, and play designed by the landscape-architecture firm Hargreaves Jones and encircled by skyscrapers.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
In the image from 1984, Prow Knob is almost entirely surrounded by the Alsek Glacier, but by 1999, the glacier had retreated, encircling only half of the mountain.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The roofs of the surrounding houses tinted the water red and delicate golden ripples encircled the bird.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
After eons of construction, the bandages came off Willoughby Square last year to reveal Abolitionist Place, a one-acre enclave of greenery, water, leisure, and play designed by the landscape-architecture firm Hargreaves Jones and encircled by skyscrapers.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
In the image from 1984, Prow Knob is almost entirely surrounded by the Alsek Glacier, but by 1999, the glacier had retreated, encircling only half of the mountain.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The roofs of the surrounding houses tinted the water red and delicate golden ripples encircled the bird.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircle
Verb
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The altitude is low enough to allow for things like satellites to circle Earth fairly quickly.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
7 Oct. 2025
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Two traditional Chinese dancers enter the frame, gracefully circling the robots as classical music plays.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While Nashville has grown by leaps and bounds, so have its smaller surrounding cities, as people flock to the suburbs, eager to enjoy small-town charm while staying close to the conveniences of a major metro.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Oct. 2025
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The paddock was filled with drivers and engineers working together while surrounded by fans watching closely.—
Keenan Thompson,
Freep.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There’s also the issue the many insta-death areas that require wall jumping to traverse.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
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This 84-mile loop begins and ends in Taos and traverses the high alpine desert of northern New Mexico and several mountain towns, including Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Questa, and Red River.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Produced by Snarky Elephant Productions, the show is an offbeat yet timely exploration of the immigrant experience, told through the lens of a Chinese family running a failing restaurant on a space station orbiting Mars.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
7 Oct. 2025
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SpaceX has spent more than six years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from both Florida and California.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encircle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircle. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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