surrounded

[suh-roun-did]

adjective

1. (of troops, a fort or town, etc.) encircled or hemmed in by enemies on all sides so as to cut off communication or retreat.

   Only a few of the surrounded infantrymen survived, escaping in the darkness of the early morning.

2. enclosed or shut in on all sides, as by a barrier or border, desert or mountains, etc. (usually used in combination).

   The huge master bedroom features a granite-surrounded whirlpool tub.

   The surrounded parcel of land is provided with road access by a right-of-way through one of the encircling properties.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of surround.

Other Word Forms

• unsurrounded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of surrounded¹

First recorded in 1590–1600, for an earlier sense; surround ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; surround ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

I watched the game in their ground surrounded by hills, and it gave me a sensation almost like I was watching football for the very first time.

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Designers from Disney, Paramount and 20th Century Fox helped design a 1,000-acre canopy that would make the airport indistinguishable from the neighborhood that surrounded it.

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A family spokesperson announced Sir Andreas's death on 29 November, saying that he was "surrounded by family until the end" and that he would be "dearly missed".

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Even surrounded by so much talent, Jaquez could make a strong case for being UCLA’s best player so far this season.

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Sir Tom, who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the screenplay for Shakespeare In Love, "died peacefully at home in Dorset, surrounded by his family", his agents said on Saturday.

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Related Words

• ringed