1
as in wrapping
to encircle or bind with or as if with a belt
trees girdled the campus, essentially hiding it from view wire girdling the bundle of firewood
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in circling
to travel completely around
an asteroid belt that girdles the inner planets of the solar system
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in surrounding
to form a circle around
the rings that famously girdle the planet Saturn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of girdling
Also, the rootball should be inspected for circling or girdling roots.
—
Larry Figart, Florida Times-Union, 14 Jan. 2026
Removing this layer restricts the tree from moving water up from the roots or nutrients back down, a process known as girdling.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
The new levee begins at the city of San Mateo’s border and runs below the San Mateo Bridge before girdling the city’s borders.
—John King, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Nov. 2023
Larry Figart, Florida Times-Union, 14 Jan. 2026
Removing this layer restricts the tree from moving water up from the roots or nutrients back down, a process known as girdling.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
The new levee begins at the city of San Mateo’s border and runs below the San Mateo Bridge before girdling the city’s borders.
—John King, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for girdling
Verb
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Abrams launched Bad Robot with Bryan Burk in May 1999 when Abrams’ first series as a creator, the WB’s Felicity, was wrapping its first season.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
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Backed by his band the Dark Clouds, the singer-songwriter will embark on dates behind Mutiny After Midnight this fall and summer, starting in Austin, Texas, in early September and wrapping in Lexington, Kentucky, on Halloween.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The 10-day mission involves circling the moon in a flyby manner (and not landing on the surface) and, in doing so, establishing the record for the farthest that humans have ever ventured into space.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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Financial regulators are already circling.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The resort also supports the South Caicos Heritage Foundation, which protects surrounding coral reefs and often spearheads community clean-up initiatives.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
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Asia-Pacific markets whipsawed in volatile trading on Tuesday, with major indices flipping to losses in the morning session, as uncertainty surrounding the war weighs on investor sentiment.—
Hugh Leask,Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After 5½ hours on backcountry skis, traversing the Sierra Nevada’s rapidly melting snowpack beneath a scorching spring sun, the guide at the front of our group stopped and went silent.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Nile is Africa’s longest river, it and its principal tributaries traversing parts of 10 countries and several different physiographic regions.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Our beautiful encircling topography of mountains and hills is a bowl ready-made by ancient plate tectonics to be filled with smoke and smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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The rooms Spread over a handful of buildings encircling the central courtyard, Aleenta Retreat's 44 rooms range from spacious deluxe rooms with lounge-y balconies to two-story residences with two bedrooms and a small private courtyard with a plunge pool.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The three cosmonauts currently living on the orbiting lab — Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrey Fedyaev — did not participate.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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Among these was Skylab, America's first orbiting space station, which launched on May 14, 1973.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Girdling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girdling. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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