- present participle of surround.
surrounding
Americannoun
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something that surrounds.
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surroundings, environing things, circumstances, conditions, etc.; environment.
He was too sick to be aware of his surroundings.
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the act of encircling or enclosing.
adjective
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enclosing or encircling.
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being the environment or adjacent area.
Synonym Usage
See environment.
Etymology
Origin of surrounding
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: literally “inundation”; see origin at surround, -ing 1, -ing 2
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.
Today’s frontier progress is increasingly driven by test-time workloads and software development surrounding AI rather than just raw model training, according to Gupta.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
After all the hype surrounding Apple’s new folding iPhone Duo, personal tech columnist Nicole Nguyen test-drove its latest slate of releases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
In a statement, they said they were "deeply shocked and angered by the circumstances surrounding his death".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
As Meta prepares to release new wearables, privacy fears surrounding its artificial intelligence glasses have triggered fresh lawsuits against the social media giant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Luckily, Mr. Gorringe has guards surrounding Cleopatra’s Needle day and night.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
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.
