as in surrounding
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1
as in circling
to travel completely around
communication satellites encircling the earth
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in encompassing
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 encircling
Irene Wright, USA Today, 15 May 2026
By using drones to interdict supply lines from a distance, Ukrainian forces can impose the effects of a siege without physically encircling a city, redefining how an opponent can be isolated in modern warfare.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Heck, even the names in the Ring of Honor encircling the stadium between its decks will be vulnerable to being cloaked by FIFA branding or advertising signage.
—Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
Chopard’s charming—and chiming—Beehive Clock, a table clock standing nearly a foot tall with seven tiers of rounded glass segments encircling a multi-level mechanical movement, stood out among the new releases for the same reason the Nautilus desk watch (Ref.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 11 May 2026
The upper features criss-crossing straps across the toes and skinner straps encircling the ankle.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 4 May 2026
Existing storage facilities within Beijing’s Sixth Ring Road—an encircling expressway about 15 to 20 miles from the city center—are limited to storing a maximum of three drones or 10 core components while also being required to undergo police inspections.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Curve around the city on the Trout Run Trail, an 11-mile asphalt loop encircling the historic downtown.
—Sarah Miller, Midwest Living, 29 Apr. 2026
If your houseplant was severely pot-bound with encircling roots, trim the overgrown roots back by one-third.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
Bad weather postponed a major construction project on Atlanta's primary highway encircling the city last weekend, but now the traffic chaos is here.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 15 May 2026
By using drones to interdict supply lines from a distance, Ukrainian forces can impose the effects of a siege without physically encircling a city, redefining how an opponent can be isolated in modern warfare.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Heck, even the names in the Ring of Honor encircling the stadium between its decks will be vulnerable to being cloaked by FIFA branding or advertising signage.
—Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
Chopard’s charming—and chiming—Beehive Clock, a table clock standing nearly a foot tall with seven tiers of rounded glass segments encircling a multi-level mechanical movement, stood out among the new releases for the same reason the Nautilus desk watch (Ref.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 11 May 2026
The upper features criss-crossing straps across the toes and skinner straps encircling the ankle.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 4 May 2026
Existing storage facilities within Beijing’s Sixth Ring Road—an encircling expressway about 15 to 20 miles from the city center—are limited to storing a maximum of three drones or 10 core components while also being required to undergo police inspections.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Curve around the city on the Trout Run Trail, an 11-mile asphalt loop encircling the historic downtown.
—Sarah Miller, Midwest Living, 29 Apr. 2026
If your houseplant was severely pot-bound with encircling roots, trim the overgrown roots back by one-third.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircling
Adjective
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Since then, the bustling market serves the surrounding and significant Latino community and others.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Given rumors were circling that José Mourinho was on his way back to manage the team next season, some assumed Pérez would be addressing that, looking to steady the ship after a torrid few months in the Spanish capital.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
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So none of the negative press circling around him manifested as a problem in your working relationship?—
Zak Cheney-Rice,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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The saints’ days are celebrated, the great days of history are celebrated, and they’re celebrated with this sort of enormous exuberance and deep investment that is somehow very, very touching, very embracing, and very inclusive.—
Terry Ward,
AFAR Media,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There are several ancient clusters of stars called the Ultra-Faint Dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
-
Purchasing enough orbiting interceptors to destroy roughly 10 incoming ballistic missiles would cost about $720 billion, the CBO estimates.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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Znotins acknowledges that the airline makes prices for those non-connecting trips expensive to discourage non-connecting customers from booking them.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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Gateway is modified to first repair the old 1910 tunnel immediately and construct a more economical new tunnel (without expensive and unneeded bench walls and cross-connecting passageways) and link it directly into Penn Station.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By traversing sonic ground across its 10 tracks that transports listeners from the open expanses of Montana to the Mississippi Hill Country, Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen effectively weave a tapestry that knits together a throughline between foundational Americana genres.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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The 49ers’ travel miles for the 2026 regular season amount to 38,105 air miles, the most ever according to sports betting analyst Bill Speros, as well as traversing 58 time zones, breaking the previous record of 42.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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The now 27-year-old joined fellow La Liga side Elche on loan for the rest of the season in late August but has not been able to establish himself as first-choice there.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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The rising senior joined teammate Giacomo Sanfilippo, a linebacker, as the first three commitments from the Orlando area’s 2027 class.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The sphere at the top of the node bobs in the water, with the attached tube oscillating water within it, spinning turbines inside the structure that generate electricity.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
-
There’s a lot of fear about what’s going to happen with this thing that people feel attached to.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Encircling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircling. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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