enclose
Americanverb (used with object)
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encloses,
present (3rd person singular)
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enclosed,
past participle, past
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enclosing
present participle
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to shut or hem in; close in on all sides.
a valley enclosed by tall mountains.
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to surround, as with a fence or wall.
to enclose land.
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to insert in the same envelope, package, or the like.
He enclosed a check.
A book was sent with the bill enclosed.
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to hold or contain.
His letter enclosed a check.
-
Roman Catholic Church.
verb
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to close; hem in; surround
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to surround (land) with or as if with a fence
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to put in an envelope or wrapper, esp together with a letter
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to contain or hold
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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enclosernoun
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preencloseverb (used with object)
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reencloseverb (used with object)
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enclosableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enclosesimple
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enclosessimple
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have enclosedperfect
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has enclosedperfect
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am enclosingprogressive
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are enclosingprogressive
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is enclosingprogressive
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have been enclosingperfect progressive
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has been enclosingperfect progressive
Past
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enclosedsimple
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had enclosedperfect
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was enclosingprogressive
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were enclosingprogressive
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had been enclosingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enclose
First recorded in 1275–1325, enclose is from the Middle English word enclosen, inclosen. See in- 1, close
Explanation
To enclose something is to surround it or cover it up. An envelope encloses a letter. To enclose is to put something inside something else. A crowd of people could enclose a celebrity, or a wall might enclose a garden. In Edgar Allan Poe’s story “Masque of the Red Death,” the Prince encloses his party guests inside the castle walls (along with the Red Death). (Oops!) A box might enclose a present. If you enclose something with a letter, you’re putting it in the envelope, too.
Vocabulary lists containing enclose
Case Closed: Clud, Clus
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act V
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
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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:
Two new walls, built to enclose the porch, didn’t feature exposed brick like the others, so Robe set them apart with burgundy Jennifer Shorto wallpaper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
They requested China enclose this section inside the embassy's security perimeter.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2025
Their capsule-like shape can enclose and protect mRNA, which provides instructions for cells to manufacture proteins.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 2024
In an open letter sent to the community in January, SHM described the “double-barrier” that will enclose the pens and other measures to address these concerns.
From Science Magazine ● Feb. 19, 2024
Roy noticed that a chain-link fence had been erected to enclose the lot.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
But it had no lights of its own, so the volunteers used the LED lights and glow sticks to attach homemade Dodgers-themed signage to the fence that encloses the bridge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
The cargo capacity is roughly equivalent: the CX-50 encloses 31.4 cubic feet behind the second-row seats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
This process, discovered by Nobel laureate Yoshinori Ohsumi in 2016, encloses the accumulation within a lipid membrane similar to a cell membrane.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2025
It’s so stark, so subtle in how it encloses the space, turning it into a haven.
From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
But who has ever torn himself from the claw that encloses you when you drop a seed in a TV parlour?
From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
To protect the mRNA from breaking down before it reached its target, the researchers added a positively charged cholesterol derivative that helped keep the genetic material securely enclosed inside the nanoparticles.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Within these enclosed environments, breathable oxygen could be produced through photosynthesis or water electrolysis.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Another thing that won’t change: Passengers will continue to walk across the tarmac from terminal to stairs to planes, rather than using the enclosed jetways common in other airports, especially larger ones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Most of the press boxes at this tournament are enclosed.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The first day of school Mami walked me to a stone building that loomed over Graham Avenue, its concrete yard enclosed by an iron fence with spikes at the top.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Bizarrely, a green gate and fence enclosing the site stood untouched.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
Some hotels have been moving the sink and shower into the bedroom and enclosing the toilet in glass or placing it in cubby-like space, which helps make the room look more spacious, Hanson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Survey work has been conducted over the last two decades but researchers believed critical questions about "the date, development and function of both the enclosing elements and the internal settlement remain unanswered".
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2026
In fact, it later puffs up sideways and transforms into what looks like a huge cosmic watermelon, enclosing everything close by.
From Space Scoop ● Nov. 28, 2025
The leaves were all thicker and greener about the edges of the glade, enclosing it with an almost solid wall.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Definitions 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.
