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
This encourages roots to migrate outwards rather than circling and eventually weakening the tree by girdling it.
—
Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Sep. 2025
Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for girdling
Verb
-
Police eventually disabled the vehicle by wrapping tape around one of its sensors, White said.—
Chris Kirkham,
Nashville Tennessean,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Countdown, led by Jensen Ackles, premiered in June and had a longer rollout, wrapping its 13-episode season in early September.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Ravens have lost four in a row to fall to 1-5, and a season of great expectations is circling the drain.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
In a memorable final walkthrough, Odhiang broke from the traditional lineup, circling the runway to give the audience one last sweeping look—ending with a warm embrace for Blazy, marking his powerful debut.—
Mecca Pryor,
Essence,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The electrolyte surrounding the negative electrode contained glucose and active riboflavin, while the positive side used either potassium ferricyanide or oxygen.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Identifying victims’ remains has been a slow process because bodies can be recovered only when the surrounding area is declared safe from explosives.—
Isabel Rosales,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The obliteration of both Iran’s nuclear facilities and the foreign terrorist cartels traversing the Gulf of America are clear evidence of the president's success.—
Brian Mast,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Explore a Remote Island The truly adventurous will enjoy the excitement of traversing Cape Lookout National Seashore while driving a UTV.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The vents encircling the stand’s rounded top handle cooling.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
15 Oct. 2025
-
By the early 19th century, scientists had begun to recognize a belt of volcanic activity encircling the Pacific Ocean.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The material very close to the black hole is orbiting at speeds approaching that of light, but farther out, the material is moving much more slowly.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Girdling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girdling. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share