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enclave

American  
[en-kleyv, ahn-] / ˈɛn kleɪv, ˈɑn- /

noun

  1. a country, or especially, an outlying portion of a country, entirely or mostly surrounded by the territory of another country.

  2. any small, distinct area or group enclosed or isolated within a larger one.

    a Chinese-speaking enclave in London.

verb (used with object)

enclaved, enclaving

  1. to isolate or enclose (especially territory) within a foreign or uncongenial environment; make an enclave of.

    The desert enclaved the little settlement.
enclave British  
/ ˈɛnkleɪv /

noun

  1. a part of a country entirely surrounded by foreign territory: viewed from the position of the surrounding territories Compare exclave

"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

Etymology

Origin of enclave

1865–70; < French, Middle French, noun derivative of enclaver < Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre to lock in, equivalent to Latin in- in- 2 + clāv ( is ) key + -āre infinitive suffix

Compare meaning

How does enclave compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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.

Nob Hill had a reputation as a relatively well-to-do enclave, but here, in its outer reaches, the vacancies were becoming hard to ignore.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Located in lower Laurel Canyon, the three-bedroom estate is tucked away in an exclusive enclave at the base of Mount Olympus.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

And though the devastation wrought by last year’s fire was unprecedented in its scale, the Schneiders remain optimistic about the future of their beloved enclave and its plucky local paper.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

I met Volodymyr Zelensky in a conference room inside the heavily-guarded government enclave in a well-to-do corner of central Kyiv.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

But somehow Sierra had stumbled into a quasi-suburban enclave of stand-alone houses, complete with front lawns and porch swings.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

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.