encompass

American  

[en-kuhm-puhs] / ɛnˈkʌm pəs /

verb (used with object)

1. to form a circle about; encircle; surround.

   He built a moat to encompass the castle.

2. to enclose; envelop.

   The folds of a great cloak encompassed her person.

3. to include comprehensively.

   a work that encompasses the entire range of the world's religious beliefs.

4. Obsolete.  to outwit.

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encompass British  

/ ɪnˈkʌmpəs /

verb

1. to enclose within a circle; surround

2. to bring about; cause to happen; contrive

   he encompassed the enemy's ruin

3. to include entirely or comprehensively

   this book encompasses the whole range of knowledge

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Other Word Forms

• encompassment noun
• unencompassed adjective

Etymology

Origin of encompass

First recorded in 1545–55; en- ¹ + compass

Example Sentences

Mr. Harpham’s book shows that the history of ideas encompasses much more than what intellectuals thought and wrote about in “a collection of sources and texts”; it is “an entire context within which these cohered.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Still targeting corruption, the new vision encompasses a drive to raise awareness about voter registration, he said, adding: "We won't stop."

From Barron's

“We plan to fight this with everything we’ve got,” said Mack Smith, a spokesperson for the sprawling Seattle-based Planned Parenthood affiliate, which encompasses much of Idaho.

From Seattle Times

The protests widened to encompass calls for a complete overhaul of the Islamic Republic - but it remained rooted in the issue of the hijab.

From BBC

But during severe storms, these particles can travel farther from the poles, expanding the auroral oval to encompass more of the globe.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• comprise
• cover
• embody
• embrace
• incorporate
• involve