verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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encirclesimple
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encirclessimple
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have encircledperfect
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has encircledperfect
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am encirclingprogressive
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are encirclingprogressive
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is encirclingprogressive
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have been encirclingperfect progressive
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has been encirclingperfect progressive
Past
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encircledsimple
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had encircledperfect
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was encirclingprogressive
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were encirclingprogressive
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had been encirclingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of encircle
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at en- 1, circle
Explanation
To encircle is to surround, or to make a circle around. On the last night of summer camp, the counselors and campers traditionally encircle the campfire and sing songs. Prisons are encircled by barbed wire fences, and hot, damp pavement encircles most public swimming pools. When you hug your little sister, you encircle her with your arms. If your tomato plants are growing too tall and flopping over, you should encircle them with twine to hold them up. Encircle adds the prefix en-, "make or put in" to circle, from its Latin root circus, or "ring."
Vocabulary lists containing encircle
Florida's B.E.S.T Roots: circ, circum
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Others live in the former coal patch towns that encircle the small city of Hazleton, where weathered vinyl-sided homes with soiled awnings line the streets and the taverns fill up by five o’clock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Firefighters launched a potentially decisive push Tuesday to encircle Belgium's largest wildfire in a century, despite wind and rain hampering air support operations over the High Fens nature reserve.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Other upgrades to the park are also in the works, including an iron fence that would encircle the green space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
It already displays two prominent, sweeping arms that encircle a bright central bulge, stretching across about 30,000 light-years.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2025
Gia stopped struggling and let the vines encircle her.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Only the state of Brandenburg, which encircles Berlin and sees spillover from the capital city, bucks the trend.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
The carbon-rich disk encircles the planet known as CT Cha b, located about 625 light-years from Earth.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2025
Since 2019, it has expanded its attacks from northern Burkina Faso and now encircles Ouagadougou, threatening links with neighbouring Ivory Coast, Togo and Mali.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025
This framing device encircles just one remarkable chapter of the wild and colorful life of Miller, who lived so much both before and after the war.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2024
Finnick shoots Johanna an angry look as his arm encircles Annie.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
On Sunday, the group effectively encircled the key city of Taiz after cutting the main supply route linking the city to the interim government capital of Aden.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
“If Taiwan gets encircled by fleets, no supplies will be able to get through,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Jupiter currently has more than 100 reported moons, while Saturn, which is also encircled by an extensive ring system, has more than 280.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Later that year, he was commended for withdrawing encircled Ukrainian units from a border area of the Luhansk region.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
He started off again and she overtook him and encircled him with her arms.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
She pointed out one pup with a piece of trash encircling its neck.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
The report imagined an “emerald necklace,” an urban paradise of parks and rivers and open spaces and public beaches encircling L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
The “spiritual alchemist” who turns her San Antonio home into what looks like the HQ of a drug cartel by encircling the place with an 8-foot concrete wall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
The singer's four-octave vocal range is represented by a musical stave encircling the coin from bass to treble, while a studded armband etched along the edge pays tribute to his iconic Live Aid outfit.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
Darkness surrounded them as they entered the thick grove of trees encircling the clearing.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
