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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"Novio Boy: Scene 7, Part 2" and "Your World"
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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
As for the county of Los Angeles, about half of its 4,700-plus square miles are made up of the forests and oceans and deserts that encircle it.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 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
He signals a charge to encircle the French.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Only the state of Brandenburg, which encircles Berlin and sees spillover from the capital city, bucks the trend.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
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
“Seek” is a commentary about our shifting climate, using tech that encircles us to create a sense of presence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2024
The researchers also showed that by changing the type of polymer that encircles a nanotube, they could engineer new types of semiconducting nanotubes.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 12, 2024
It encircles us when we are unarmed and least expect it.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
The Minnesota Democrat estimated that between15 to 25 agents encircled her home, all of whom she said "conducted themselves in a decent way".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Several hundred city residents, social justice activists, and dozens of Newark police officers encircled the DHS site where Baraka was being held.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
At the entrance, facing a tower encircled by a metal walkway where two guards stood watch, Justice Minister Reginaldo Biyogo Mba spoke to journalists, praising conditions at the facility.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
In a dash of added celebrity for the pro-Claude camp, pop star Katy Perry posted a screenshot of her new subscription to the Claude Pro plan, encircled with a drawing of a heart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
Powerful arms encircled me, dragging me from the dark lagoon and onto the cold porcelain floor.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Colombia’s Pacific region around the quake’s epicenter lies in the “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
She pointed out one pup with a piece of trash encircling its neck.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Behind the concertina wire encircling the bases, Germans could experience American bowling alleys and drive-in theaters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 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
Kim, who was hovering near the wall, is suddenly at his side, her arms encircling his falling form.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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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.
