enclosed
Americanadjective
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inserted in the same envelope or package.
Complete the enclosed contribution form and mail with your check or credit card information to the address below.
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surrounded or shut in on all sides.
The dogs like to hang out in the enclosed section outside the kennels.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of enclosed
Explanation
Things that are enclosed are surrounded on all sides, closed or penned in. If your grandfather's condo development is enclosed by a high fence, you might need to check in with a guard before you can visit him. Your pet guinea pig is enclosed by her cage, and when you're at school, you are enclosed by the walls of the building. Homes, car lots, gardens, and school yards are all commonly enclosed by fences. If you put a check inside your cousin's birthday card, the money is also enclosed. Enclosed comes from the verb enclose, which is rooted in the Old French enclore, "surround, confine, or contain."
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.
Enclosed archways line each side of the street behind the shops.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2025
Enclosed in a shrine, the skeletal frame of a man is posed in meditation, legs crossed beneath bright abbot’s robes while his bony hands rest on top.
From National Geographic • Jan. 19, 2024
Enclosed glass cases in the dining room display vintage electronics, magazines and vinyl records — Korean cultural artifacts from a time long before K-pop dominated the market.
From Washington Post • Apr. 17, 2023
Enclosed by hedging, individual gardens and gathering spaces furnished with road-trip finds and familiar agricultural materials function as spaces for experimentation and expression, continually changing but especially so when a pandemic grounds travel plans.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 14, 2023
Enclosed you will find some tables and diagrams that should prove of some service to you.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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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.