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encircle

[en-sur-kuh l]
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verb (used with object), en·cir·cled, en·cir·cling.
  1. to form a circle around; surround; encompass: to encircle an enemy.
  2. to make a circling movement around; make the circuit of.
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Origin of encircle

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at en-1, circle
Related formsen·cir·cle·ment, nounun·en·cir·cled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

encompassenclosesurroundenvelopenfoldinvestcovergirdlebandenvironcircuitcompasscircleringwreatheinclosecincturehalobegird

Examples from the Web for encircle

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Three times did he repeat this song, and as often did he encircle the post in his dance.

    The Last of the Mohicans

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • Encircle this ragout with the fried cutlets, and crown with a cauliflower.

    Culture and Cooking

    Catherine Owen

  • What he did was to encircle our city with an amulet of saving virtue.

  • He leant forward, and one arm reached out to encircle her waist.

  • Gloom did encircle him, but in the midst of it there was a light, which he strove and craved to follow.

    The Arena

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for encircle

encircle

verb
  1. (tr) to form a circle around; enclose within a circle; surround
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Derived Formsencirclement, nounencircling, adjective
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

Word Origin and History for encircle

v.

c.1400, from en- (1) "make, put in" + circle. Related: Encircled; encircling; encirclement.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper