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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Recent Examples of encircle
Within moments, a small crowd of counter-protesters encircled him.
—
Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
The Moroccan-style domed white villas, which encircle the place like sugar cubes, satisfy the pilgrim’s sense of arriving at a glamorous landmark conjured from the glossy magazines of her youth.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
The young woman’s remains were found encircled by about 10 dingoes, Australia's native wild dogs, on the beach north of Maheno Wreck, Wide Bay District Inspector Paul Algie previously announced in a press conference.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Scherr’s teammates encircled her until trainers were able to get to her.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
The Moroccan-style domed white villas, which encircle the place like sugar cubes, satisfy the pilgrim’s sense of arriving at a glamorous landmark conjured from the glossy magazines of her youth.
—Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
The young woman’s remains were found encircled by about 10 dingoes, Australia's native wild dogs, on the beach north of Maheno Wreck, Wide Bay District Inspector Paul Algie previously announced in a press conference.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Scherr’s teammates encircled her until trainers were able to get to her.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for encircle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircle
Verb
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Stellarators use magnets with complicated shapes circling the outside of the system’s vacuum vessel to create all the magnetic fields needed to confine the fusion plasma.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
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The Artemis 2 astronauts won't be landing, but will instead circle the moon on a 10-day trip to test systems and hardware for future expeditions to the surface.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The context surrounding the email exchange is unknown.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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In a motion filed Friday, defense attorneys argued that publicity surrounding the case has so permeated Summit County that seating an impartial jury is no longer realistic.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sometime in the next week, another part of the team, working from the South Korean icebreaker RV Araon, aims to drop another cable, which a robot will traverse once a day, down to a rocky moraine in the Amundsen Sea.—
Christian Elliott,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
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As Indianapolis has expanded its winter contingency plan to include new emergency shelters during dangerously cold weather, a small group of IMPD officers and nonprofit workers traverse the city to inform people living outdoors of their options and even drive some to safety.—
Jordan Smith,
IndyStar,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Several of these events match theoretical expectations for electromagnetic interactions between a star and a close-orbiting planet, although stellar activity alone cannot yet be ruled out.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
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Starlink is a global internet network that relies on around 10,000 satellites orbiting Earth.—
AAMER MADHANI AND SUSIE BLANN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encircle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircle. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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