ensconce

[en-skons]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ensconce ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), en·sconced, en·sconc·ing.

to settle securely or snugly: I found her in the library, ensconced in an armchair.

to cover or shelter; hide securely: He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop.

Nearby words

Origin of ensconce

First recorded in 1580–90; en-¹ + sconce²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ensconced

Legendary country radio DJ and songwriter Gerry House has been ensconced in the Nashville scene since 1975.
Is Gay Singer Steve Grand Really Country Music’s Frank Ocean?|Hugh Ryan|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In short, Myriad isolated the BRCA genes—snipped them out of the longer DNA chain in which they were ensconced.
The Supremes Get It Right, Naturally.|Sam Kean|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But that place is outside the Knesset or Congress, pressing in, not ensconced and privileged and from the inside.
Religion And State In Ruth Calderon's Knesset Speech|Zachary Braiterman|February 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Does that mean, once ensconced at the Pentagon, he'll not privately counsel Obama with these observations in mind?
Did Chuck Hagel Cave?|Ali Gharib|January 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST

He is now ensconced at Christian Dior, where he has already debuted his couture collection.
Jil Sander’s Quiet Return|Robin Givhan|September 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Moldavian clerk replied with his usual guttural, and, opening his desk, ensconced his head therein.
Lavengro|George Borrow
Here the four of them ensconced themselves, with Guard beside them, and the three looked eagerly at their eldest sister.
The Carroll Girls|Mabel Quiller-Couch
Declining, however, every kind of ovation, Barbicane ensconced himself in a room of the Franklin Hotel.
From the Earth to the Moon, Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours and Twenty Minutes: and a Trip Round It|Jules Verne
In another five years he would have been ensconced behind an Englishman's strong but most unmanageable barrier of prejudice.
Sinister Street, vol. 2|Compton Mackenzie
Pope retreated across Bull Run with the remnant of his army and by morning was ensconced behind the field-works at Centreville.
The Civil War Through the Camera|Henry W. (Henry William) Elson

British Dictionary definitions for ensconced

ensconce

verb (tr; often passive)

to establish or settle firmly or comfortablyensconced in a chair

to place in safety; hide

Word Origin for ensconce

C16: see en- 1, sconce ²

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 ensconced

ensconce

1580s, "to cover with a fort," from en- (1) "make, put in" + sconce "small fortification, shelter," perhaps via French, probably from Dutch schans "earthwork" (cf. Middle High German schanze "bundle of sticks"), of uncertain origin. Related: Ensconced.

ensconce

verb (used with object), en·sconced, en·sconc·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of ensconce

Examples from the Web for ensconced

ensconce

verb (tr; often passive)

Word Origin for ensconce

ensconce