encompass
Americanverb (used with object)
-
encompasses,
present (3rd person singular)
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encompassed,
past participle, past
-
encompassing
present participle
verb
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to enclose within a circle; surround
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to bring about; cause to happen; contrive
he encompassed the enemy's ruin
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to include entirely or comprehensively
this book encompasses the whole range of knowledge
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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encompasssimple
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encompassessimple
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have encompassedperfect
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has encompassedperfect
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am encompassingprogressive
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are encompassingprogressive
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is encompassingprogressive
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have been encompassingperfect progressive
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has been encompassingperfect progressive
Past
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encompassedsimple
-
had encompassedperfect
-
was encompassingprogressive
-
were encompassingprogressive
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had been encompassingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of encompass
Explanation
Encompass means to contain. When you see the word, picture a campus which encompasses lecture halls, a football field, a medical center, a dining hall and some parking lots. Encompass can be used when talking about anything that contains something else. A lecture on Edward Hopper might encompass all aspects of his life and art, a work of art could encompass many techniques, and a policeman's jurisdiction may encompass an entire state. The continental U.S. encompasses 48 states. This entry encompasses many examples of the word encompass in use!
Vocabulary lists containing encompass
Born a Crime
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The Things They Carried
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
See Examples For:
In recent weeks, Kushner and Witkoff have argued that expanding the scope of a peace deal to encompass a rethink of European security arrangements would increase the chances of success.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026
There’s a reason for it to be in my life still, whereas for the rest of my family, their jobs do not encompass the past.
From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2026
Stars are based on 40-some criteria that encompass patient experience surveys and a range of care metrics.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Akamai and Anthropic also have the option to expand the agreement to encompass another $9 billion of revenue, an option which JPMorgan analysts say follows “a path of low resistance” to be exercised.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
At least, this is what the last day of school is supposed to encompass.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
It encompasses O'Toole's critically acclaimed stage role in Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell in the West End in 1999, along with his universally panned performance of Macbeth in 1980.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
"Current pain medicine is fixated on ridding patients of their pain symptoms, but that's not the source of chronic pain. These data suggest that a chronic pain flare also encompasses one's identity."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
Identical sales—which encompasses in-store revenue, and excludes fuel sales—fell 0.8%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Situated just below Griffith Park, the sprawling estate encompasses 4,026 square feet of living space and sits on more than an acre.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
"It encompasses all that is made, unmade, and yet to be made."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
"Throughout an extraordinary lifetime devoted entirely to artistic creation, Kusama pursued an internationally acclaimed career as a pioneering avant-garde artist whose creative practice encompassed visual art, performance, fiction, and poetry," it said.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The full range of Jayhawks sounds are encompassed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Federal charging documents said the Hoovers formed in the late 1970s with territory that largely encompassed the Figueroa corridor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Covitz has spent nearly three decades at the Fed, and his research has encompassed a range of topics on financial stability and credit markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The old primordial gods like Gaea and Tartarus...How could you leave home and ever be independent of your parents, when they literally encompassed the entire world?
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
The debate about the appropriateness of wearing balaclavas in public places goes wider than e-bikes, encompassing anti-social behaviour, crime and some anti-immigration protests.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The protected area is enormous, encompassing everything we could see through our binoculars from there.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
The weather service has issued coastal flood and high surf advisories encompassing Santa Catalina and Santa Barbara islands, Malibu, Los Angeles and Ventura County.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
It estimates that its surplus on the “current account”—a trade measure encompassing goods, services and investment income—is headed to 1% of global GDP, a share no country has achieved in postwar history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Quite a few of those families occupy large contiguous areas—in the case of Indo-European, the area encompassing most of Europe east through much of western Asia to India.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
