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

The South Downs National Park stretches across Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex, encompassing chalk hills and villages across the areas.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 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

Retail sales of new-energy vehicles, a term encompassing EVs and hybrid cars, fell 20% to 596,000 units in the first month of 2026, the China Passenger Car Association said Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 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

Isidore stood holding the two handles, experiencing himself as encompassing every other living thing, and then, reluctantly, he let go.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• enveloping