circumscribe
[ sur-kuhm-skrahyb, sur-kuhm-skrahyb ]
/ ˈsɜr kəmˌskraɪb, ˌsɜr kəmˈskraɪb /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object), cir·cum·scribed, cir·cum·scrib·ing.
to draw a line around; encircle: to circumscribe a city on a map.
to enclose within bounds; limit or confine, especially narrowly: Her social activities are circumscribed by school regulations.
to mark off; define; delimit: to circumscribe the area of a science.
Geometry.
- to draw (a figure) around another figure so as to touch as many points as possible.
- (of a figure) to enclose (another figure) in this manner.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Origin of circumscribe
OTHER WORDS FROM circumscribe
Words nearby circumscribe
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for circumscribe
Why Do “Left” And “Right” Mean Liberal And Conservative?
“Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time
“Effectiveness” vs. “Efficacy” vs. “Efficiency”: When To Use Each Word For The Best Results
What Is The Difference Between “It’s” And “Its”?
What Is “GOP” Short For?
Wild Weather Words You Need To Know
British Dictionary definitions for circumscribe
circumscribe
/ (ˌsɜːkəmˈskraɪb, ˈsɜːkəmˌskraɪb) /
verb (tr)
to restrict within limits
to mark or set the bounds of
to draw a geometric construction around (another construction) so that the two are in contact but do not intersectCompare inscribe (def. 4)
to draw a line round
Derived forms of circumscribe
circumscribable, adjectivecircumscriber, nounWord Origin for circumscribe
C15: from Latin circumscrībere, from circum- + scrībere to write
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for circumscribe
circumscribe
[ sûr′kəm-skrīb′ ]
To draw a figure around another figure so as to touch as many points as possible. A circle that is circumscribed around a triangle touches it at each of the triangle's three vertices.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.