1
as in traverses
to travel completely around
communication satellites encircling the earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in surrounds
to form a circle around
immediately after announcing their engagement, the couple was encircled by their applauding friends
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encircles
When the temperature begins to cool and the leaves start to shift, hop in your car and take on the 84-mile Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, which encircles New Mexico's highest peak and delivers a stunning array of fall foliage.
—
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025
Each element encircles a central void, which Robertson describes as symbolic thresholds–portals between identities, spaces, and ideas.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Of course, the vote passes and the Imperial Fleet encircles the planet, all according to plan.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
The jet stream, a conveyor belt of air moving west to east that encircles the globe, is fueled by temperature differences between cooler regions to the north and warmer air masses to the south.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2025
Each element encircles a central void, which Robertson describes as symbolic thresholds–portals between identities, spaces, and ideas.
—Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Of course, the vote passes and the Imperial Fleet encircles the planet, all according to plan.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
The jet stream, a conveyor belt of air moving west to east that encircles the globe, is fueled by temperature differences between cooler regions to the north and warmer air masses to the south.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircles
Verb
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During the test, the robot successfully traverses randomly placed debris, ascends, and descends steps without difficulty.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
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The new musical Saturday Church traverses both contexts, following a sensitive Black teenager (played by Bryson Battle) who’s torn between his love of church and his burgeoning understanding of his queerness.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The spread of banchan—side dishes that fill out a traditional Korean meal—that surrounds the central grill serves as a choose-your-own-adventure map for perfectly embellishing your meats of choice.—
Irene Yoo
September 26,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
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The two galaxies, named NGC 4532 and DDO 137, are in fact falling into the Virgo Cluster at 547 miles (880 kilometers) per second, and in doing so are plowing through a vast cloud of gas that surrounds the cluster.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Against a palette of softly glitching synth, Zelda flute, and twittering mechanical birds, the song circles feelings of uncertainty about commitment, sacrifice, and choosing one’s true path.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
1 Oct. 2025
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Over beers and homemade guac, lead guide Joy McCreary circles us up and asks everyone to state the important stuff—name, hometown, and favorite Dead tune—an icebreaker that also gives the band a list to work from.—
John Briley,
Outside,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 1995, a gas giant known as 51 Pegasi b, which orbits a star similar to Earth's sun, etched its name in cosmic history as the first exoplanet ever discovered.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
22 Sep. 2025
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In contrast, our planet Mercury, which is scorchingly hot itself, orbits the sun in just under 88 days.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The train that rings Vesuvius makes its rounds as racehorses train along the shore.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
3 Oct. 2025
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That certainly rings true for Nomad founder Brad Davis, who sports copious body art and has the vibe of an energetic Portland entrepreneur.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Every network and station has made tough calls when on-air conduct crosses a line.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
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After finishing as a luxury tax team in each of the past two seasons, the Heat wants to stay out of the luxury tax this season in order to avoid the onerous repeater tax that’s triggered when a team crosses the luxury-tax threshold in four straight seasons or four times during a five-season period.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encircles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircles. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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