encompass

[en-kuhm-puh s]

See more 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.

Origin of encompass

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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for encompassing

enveloping, surrounding, ambient, circumferential

Examples from the Web for encompassing

Contemporary Examples of encompassing

The report, encompassing research from March 2011 to November 2013, boasts some truly shocking numbers.
By The Numbers: Syria’s Crimes Against Its Children
Nina Strochlic
February 6, 2014
The novel moves from the 1990s to 2009, encompassing Hurricane Katrina and the election of President Barack Obama.
All About Grandma: Terry McMillan on Her New Novel, ‘Who Asked You?’
Jane Ciabattari
September 30, 2013
Bush then lumbered him with a vast new bureaucracy now encompassing over 2,000 souls.
Obama's Dangerous Spy Game
John Lehman
May 22, 2010
August through October 2008 were particularly packed, encompassing 237 pages worth of calls.
Paulson's Revealing Phone Records
Nomi Prins
October 12, 2009
Indeed, idleness, for Russell, is a state one reaches by escaping the encompassing world.
The Professor's Reading List
Stephen L. Carter
March 3, 2009

Historical Examples of encompassing

She was always there, encompassing him with her breath, reminding him that he was hers.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
Her emotions began to take control when faced with his encompassing desire.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
All the hopes and desires of the autumn smote him with encompassing blows.
Michael
E. F. Benson
Its encompassing obsession is freedom, or at least the appearance of freedom.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin
The race that built the factories and developed the encompassing farms.
The Servant Problem
Robert F. Young

British Dictionary definitions for encompassing

encompass

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 Formsencompassment, 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

Word Origin and History for encompassing

encompass

1550s, from en- (1) "make, put in" + compass. Related: Encompassed; encompasses; encompassing.