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definitions

encompass

[ en-kuhm-puh s ]
/ ɛnˈkʌm pəs /
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

involvement, incorporation, formation, admittance, creation, success, effort, accomplishment, attainment, victory, realization, performance, deed, feat, triumph, personification, archetype, symbol, apotheosis, exemplar

Nearby words

  1. encoignure,
  2. encolpion,
  3. encomiast,
  4. encomienda,
  5. encomium,
  6. encopresis,
  7. encore,
  8. encounter,
  9. encounter group,
  10. encounter session

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for encompassment

  • But mystery I then accepted as the only complement, the encompassment, of what we know of our life.

    Heart of Man|George Edward Woodberry

  • But her encompassment, as is so apt to be the case here, was pitiably mediocre.

    The Adventures of a Widow|Edgar Fawcett

British Dictionary definitions for encompassment

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 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 encompassment

encompass

v.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper