encompass

[ en-kuhm-puh s ]
/ ɛnˈkʌm pəs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR encompass ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to form a circle about; encircle; surround: He built a moat to encompass the castle.
to enclose; envelop: The folds of a great cloak encompassed her person.
to include comprehensively: a work that encompasses the entire range of the world's religious beliefs.
Obsolete. to outwit.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of encompass

First recorded in 1545–55; en-1 + compass

OTHER WORDS FROM encompass

en·com·pass·ment, nounun·en·com·passed, adjective

Words nearby encompass

encoignure, encolpion, encomiast, encomienda, encomium, encompass, encopresis, encore, encounter, encounter group, encounter session
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to encompassing

enveloping, surrounding, ambient, circumferential

Example sentences from the Web for encompassing

British Dictionary definitions for encompassing

encompass
/ (ɪnˈkʌmpəs) /

verb (tr)

to enclose within a circle; surround
to bring about; cause to happen; contrivehe encompassed the enemy's ruin
to include entirely or comprehensivelythis book encompasses the whole range of knowledge

Derived forms of encompass

encompassment, noun
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