encompassing

American  

[en-kuhm-puh-sing] / ɛnˈkʌm pə sɪŋ /

adjective

1. forming a circle around something; encircling or surrounding.

   She serves the whole Anchorage real estate market, including the encompassing communities.

2. comprehensively including, addressing, or dealing with all parts or aspects of something.

   Whether as a regular treatment or a special indulgence, your fully encompassing spa experience will leave you looking and feeling fantastic!

3. fully enclosing or enveloping something.

   As she looked out reflectively over the lake, the encompassing quiet was sliced by the shrill sound of her cell phone.

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noun

1. the act or state of surrounding, enclosing, or comprehensively including something.

   The term “diaspora” allows for the encompassing of a wider range of people and experiences than “immigrants.”

Etymology

Origin of encompassing

First recorded in 1565–75; encompass ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; encompass ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

Retail sales of new-energy vehicles, a category encompassing EVs and hybrid cars, fell 32% to 464,000 units in February from a year earlier, the data showed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

The evacuation order was unprecedented in scale, encompassing a 6-square-mile, densely populated residential area with hundreds of thousands of people.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

"To be recognised by you all, 'thank you' does not come anywhere near to encompassing what we feel, the gratitude," Lindo said.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

A broad investment strategy encompassing infrastructure across developed markets can offer U.S. investors a way to ride along with economic trends at a discount to the price/earnings valuation of the S&P 500.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

Arguing that Y-12 was the most reliable option for meeting the new specifications, he pressed for a major expansion of the plant, encompassing additional Betas and a new, more productive Alpha design.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• enveloping