circumscribe

American  

[sur-kuhm-skrahyb, sur-kuhm-skrahyb] / ˈsɜr kəmˌskraɪb, ˌsɜr kəmˈskraɪb /

verb (used with object)

circumscribed, circumscribing

1. to draw a line around; encircle.

   to circumscribe a city on a map.

2. to enclose within bounds; limit or confine, especially narrowly.

   Her social activities are circumscribed by school regulations.

   Synonyms:

   hinder, hamper, check, restrain, restrict

3. to mark off; define; delimit.

   to circumscribe the area of a science.

4. Geometry.

   1. to draw (a figure) around another figure so as to touch as many points as possible.

   2. (of a figure) to enclose (another figure) in this manner.

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circumscribe British  

/ ˌsɜːkəmˈskraɪb, ˈsɜːkəmˌskraɪb /

verb

1. to restrict within limits

2. to mark or set the bounds of

3. to draw a geometric construction around (another construction) so that the two are in contact but do not intersect Compare inscribe

4. to draw a line round

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circumscribe Scientific  

/ sûr′kəm-skrīb′ /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• circumscribable adjective
• circumscriber noun
• noncircumscribed adjective
• uncircumscribable adjective
• uncircumscribed adjective

Etymology

Origin of circumscribe

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin circumscrībere, equivalent to circum- circum- + scrībere to write

Explanation

To circumscribe is to limit or restrict. If you spend too much time watching TV instead of fulfilling other obligations, you might circumscribe your TV-watching time to one hour daily (or two hours, if your favorite show is on). Circumscribe comes from the Latin words circum, meaning "around," and scribere, meaning "to write." If the word circumscribe causes you to think of geometry class, give yourself a pat on the back. In geometry, circumscribe means to draw one geometric figure around another figure so that the two figures touch but don’t intersect. If you studied geometry but this sounds unfamiliar, perhaps you should have taken our advice about watching too much TV.

Example Sentences

First, the state needs to provide clear guidance to carefully circumscribe the situations in which conservatorships are, and are not, appropriate.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2023

The charter provision does not appear to circumscribe that investigative authority for the department’s highest-ranking officer, the police chief.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 13, 2023

The depression may circumscribe his behavior, but don’t let it dictate yours.

From Washington Post • Aug. 21, 2021

And, in futuristic novels, oppressive regimes such as Margaret Atwood’s Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale severely circumscribe touch.

From The Guardian • May 22, 2020

And how hard it must be for her to circumscribe her manifold activity within the narrow bounds of a limited sphere of duty!

From Villa Eden: The Country-House on the Rhine by Auerbach, Berthold

Related Words

• delineate