envelop
Americanverb (used with object)
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envelops,
present (3rd person singular)
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enveloped,
past participle, past
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enveloping
present participle
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to wrap up in or as in a covering.
The long cloak she was wearing enveloped her completely.
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to serve as a wrapping or covering for, as a membrane of an organ or a sheath.
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to surround entirely.
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Military. to attack (an enemy's flank).
noun
verb
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to wrap or enclose in or as if in a covering
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to conceal or obscure, as from sight or understanding
a plan enveloped in mystery
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to surround or partially surround (an enemy force)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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envelopsimple
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envelopssimple
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have envelopedperfect
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has envelopedperfect
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am envelopingprogressive
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are envelopingprogressive
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is envelopingprogressive
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have been envelopingperfect progressive
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has been envelopingperfect progressive
Past
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envelopedsimple
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had envelopedperfect
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was envelopingprogressive
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were envelopingprogressive
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had been envelopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of envelop
1350–1400; Middle English envolupen < Old French envoluper, equivalent to en- en- 1 + voloper to envelop, of obscure origin; compare Old Provençal ( en ) volopar, Italian inviluppare to envelop, Italian viluppo tuft, bundle, confusion, referred to Medieval Latin faluppa chaff, wisp of straw, perhaps influenced by the descendants of Latin volvere to roll
Explanation
When something envelops you, it wraps around you. The Snuggie Blanket is so popular because it envelops your body, leaving only your head uncovered. Sure, it looks dorky, but it keeps you extra warm. You probably noticed that envelop looks just like the noun envelope, minus that last letter "e", and that's an easy way to help you remember its meaning, too. Picture what an envelope does — it seals a letter completely inside, or envelops it. Envelop can also be used in a symbolic way, to describe something that consumes or occupies your mind. If the pretty girl you just met starts to envelop your thoughts, your work will suffer because you can't concentrate. Envelop comes from the late 14c. word envolupen, meaning "be involved in."
Vocabulary lists containing envelop
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Comfy Cozy Lingo
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Or you could envelop yourself in Richard Kelly’s moody “Donnie Darko,” a teen drama touched by metaphysical doominess in which plane engines fall from the sky and death wears a rabbit costume.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
But before the U.S. launched its airstrikes, the Gulf governments had been resisting the prospect of a U.S. attack, fearing that it could provoke a regional conflict that would envelop them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
This “deep-dive arctic wave” of weather is expected to envelop basically 50% of the U.S. — as many as 30 states, so it’s a big storm that’s not leaving soon, said Yawger.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026
Months after ICE’s widely publicized raids, fear continues to envelop Santa Ana, a majority-Hispanic city with a large immigrant population.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2025
On my way back to the living room, I feel a rush of fresh air envelop my skin.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
One moment the music envelops us in a mysterious hush and then it is downright jaunty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
"The feeling of relief and happiness envelops us after 477 long and unbearable days of nerve-wracking waiting," her family said in a statement shortly after her return.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2025
The process envelops you in intrigue: We see the furnace and the chimney, the ceremonial stitching together of cast slips of paper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2024
I love the sizzle of the hot, spiced ghee when it is poured into the lentils, the way that dal envelops a bowl of rice like a hug.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
Just envelops my dad in a hug, then my mom, and then me.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
Being such a heavy role enveloped in a dark subject matter, Brammall initially didn’t believe he was the right actor for the project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The 35-year-old volunteer firefighter has spent more than a month enveloped in this haze, breathing toxic millennia-old microparticles of carbon as he toils against a seemingly inextinguishable fire front.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
That’s one reason cybersecurity stocks like CrowdStrike have seen strong performance this year, bucking the selloff that’s enveloped many other software names.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
At night, the narrow cobbled streets of Old Havana are enveloped in inky black, devoid of power and virtually deserted.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
He stood and enveloped Sasha in a hug.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Weightier than any of that is the ever-more involuted mystery enveloping the real Elizabeth Short, whose murder has inspired fictionalized homages before De Palma’s movie and since, but has yet to be satisfactorily rendered onscreen.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
A sans-serif font plays over the car’s odyssey through the Manhattan streets, shot on gorgeously grainy 16mm film and scored to the enveloping orchestral music of Gustav Holst.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, John, David, and guest host Juliette Kayyem discuss the newest drama enveloping semi-royals Prince Harry and Meghan after they announced an impending move back to the UK.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
Everyone seems to have formed their own opinion on the alleged cheating scandal enveloping Saltburn Cricket Club, and it's not hard to see why.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
This was her student life now, these four years, this enveloping regime, and she had no will, no freedom to leave.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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