environs
Americanplural noun
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the surrounding parts or districts, as of a city; outskirts; suburbs.
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surrounding objects; surroundings; environment.
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an area or space close by; vicinity.
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of environs
1655–65; < French (plural); replacing Middle English environ < Old French, noun use of environ around; see environ
Explanation
The environs are the areas surrounding a specific place. If you want to go to Boston and its environs on vacation, you might spend time in downtown Boston, but you may also visit Cambridge, Braintree, and Lexington. In general, the environs are the areas surrounding a particular place or location. Environs is a plural noun taking a plural verb, and it comes from an Old French word, environer, meaning to enclose, surround, or encircle. When you book your hotel reservations, you should make sure the environs around the hotel are safe. No matter how clean the hotel is or how good the breakfast, you wouldn't want to stay in an area where you would be leery of going out at night.
Vocabulary lists containing environs
The Federalist Papers, No. 70 by Alexander Hamilton
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Elijah of Buxton
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Emma
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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.
Trump is only the latest president to reshape Washington’s physical environs in line with his political goals.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
The logic behind it is firmly rooted in 19th-century London; back then, the city’s financial elite would regularly escape their stuffy urban environs during the summer months.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026
Arguably the first collection of lyrical essay writing about the California desert, Austin drew on her travels through the Owens Valley and environs, covering mining, the Shoshone tribe, weather and water.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026
Today, the Sudanese transport company Tarco operates daily crossings, carrying around 200 passengers per trip from the modern port of Suakin, within sight of the ancient city and its impoverished environs.
From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026
A thorough check of the stove and its environs revealed nothing.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
