sur·round
sə-ˈrau̇nd 
surrounded; surrounding; surrounds
1
a(1)
: to enclose on all sides : envelop
the crowd surrounded her
(2)
: to enclose so as to cut off communication or retreat : invest entry 2
b
: to form or be a member of the entourage of
flatterers who surround the king
c
: to constitute part of the environment of
surrounded by poverty
d
: to extend around the margin or edge of : encircle
a wall surrounds the old city
2
: to cause to be surrounded by something
surrounded himself with friends
: something (such as a border or ambient environment) that surrounds
from urban centre to rural surround—
Emrys Jones
Emrys JonesExamples of surround in a Sentence
Verb
A wall surrounds the old city.
They had the suspect surrounded.
She was suddenly surrounded by a crowd of excited fans.
There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the decision.
His departure was surrounded by secrecy.
Noun
the vast, featureless surround of the desert was strangely appealing to him
Recent Examples on the Web
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 24 June 2025
Naylor is surrounded in the Diamondbacks lineup by hitters like Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, and Eugenio Suarez.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The dining room leads to a bright eat-in kitchen that overlooks the backyard and opens to a family room with a stately fireplace with brick surround.
—Alicia Napierkowski, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for surround
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Verb
Seven-year-old Zeina roams the hills that surround her village on a rusty bike.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 24 June 2025
Naylor is surrounded in the Diamondbacks lineup by hitters like Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, and Eugenio Suarez.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
Noun
The entry-level Sport gets a Harman Kardon surround system, electrically adjustable front seats, steering wheel heating, all-wheel drive, a heat pump, and DC charging up to 175kW, a decent standard kit list.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The dining room leads to a bright eat-in kitchen that overlooks the backyard and opens to a family room with a stately fireplace with brick surround.
—Alicia Napierkowski, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for surround
Cite this Entry
“Surround.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surround. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
surround
1 of 2 verb
sur·round
sə-ˈrau̇nd
: to enclose on all sides : encircle
surround
2 of 2 noun
: something (as a border) that surrounds
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