1
as in wrapping
to surround or cover closely
darkness began to enfold the lonely house on the hill
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2
as in hugging
to put one's arms around and press tightly
the winner enfolded the huge bouquet of roses in her arms and thanked the judges
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Recent Examples of enfolding
Some may find this a bit too fine-grained, overly implicated in language’s self-enfolding folds.
—
Katie Kadue, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Katie Kadue, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enfolding
Verb
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Clematis climbs by wrapping its short leaf stems around support structures and may initially require a string or wire to climb.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
19 Feb. 2026
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Beside her, the crowd crept forward, wrapping around Our Lady of Mount Carmel with Cupich at the front.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Teammates on the bench hung their heads in unplanned unison, while others began hugging Svensson Traff.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
19 Feb. 2026
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That’s when horizon-hugging planets like Venus will stay up longer.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Outside,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In Camps’ hands, a cable or crewneck is never simply just that — there’s a playfulness to her draping and cutouts, subverted by the juxtaposition of gossamer-like fine gauge underpinnings with cozier, enveloping sweaters.—
Ari Stark,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Two therapists work in sync to create a continuous, enveloping rhythm that’s disorienting in the best way.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Then the beetle seeks out an ant — climbing on top of it, clasping its antennae in its jaws and scooping up its pheromones with brush-like legs.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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To keep the jewelry clean, Glasser covered them in bubblegum wrappers, removing them before clasping the dress in place.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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So unfortunately, right now there's a cloud of mystery still shrouding what's happening here.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
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The shrouding haze seemed to breathe, ebbing and flowing slowly, allowing momentary distant views that vanished with the next foggy breath.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Also new were the designer’s first jersey pieces, with draping departing from the rear and enclosing the shoulders, open on the midriff and sculpted around the hips.—
Alex Wynne,
Footwear News,
29 Jan. 2026
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And while the fence enclosing the yard is made of vinyl — which is flammable — the five-foot section closest to the house is a metal gate.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mix the shampoo with water like you would your usual cleaning solution, and mop away any grease or dirt clinging to your floors.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
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This is a case where the political class is simply wrong about where the country stands, clinging to an ideological position that their own constituents have rejected.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This week the arriving athletes seemed more interested in getting accustomed to their free Samsung phones and using their own gestures to direct a robotic hand behind glass to pick up a plastic ball encasing a mystery Olympic pin.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Natural thawing eliminates damage caused by trying to remove ice encasing stems of perennials and shrubs.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enfolding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enfolding. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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