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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of girdling
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
Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for girdling
Verb
-
Tesla reported fourth-quarter delivery and production numbers at the beginning of January, wrapping the second-straight annual drop for the EV maker.—
Chris Eudaily,Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Walz recommends protecting bigleaf types by building a cage with stakes, wrapping it with burlap, and then filling it with leaves for insulation.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Chazelle had been weighing several projects last year including an Evel Knievel pic with Leonardo DiCaprio circling the lead role.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The Patriots leaned on Los Angeles offensively and thrashed them on defense, circling Justin Herbert in the first half before swarming him for four sacks in the second.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But, amid all the energy surrounding the team’s future, the looming lawsuit against Missouri’s stadium-funding plan has drawn little public attention over the past several weeks.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Even more striking, the gas moved in a very orderly and coherent way, with far less random motion than the surrounding stars.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This technique, sometimes called ski cutting, involves traversing across a slope to try and get unstable snow to slide down.—
Madison Dapcevich,
Outside,
13 Jan. 2026
-
From January through March 2025, the number of people traversing the gap had plummeted by 98 percent.—
Kevin Maurer,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For two days, Chinese warships and aircraft simulated a blockade of the global chip hub with live-fire exercises encircling the main island, while dozens of rockets struck waters near its northern and eastern ends on Tuesday.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
31 Dec. 2025
-
Live-fire activities would take place in five maritime and airspace zones encircling the island on Tuesday, according to information released by the command.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
However, a medical issue arose last week with one of the four crewmembers — NASA has not announced which one, citing privacy concerns — prompting the first-ever medical evacuation from the orbiting lab.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The technology is expected to increase the reach and capacity of wideband communications across satellite networks orbiting Earth and someday the moon.—
Karl Hille,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Girdling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girdling. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
