surroundings

British  

/ səˈraʊndɪŋz /

plural noun

1. the conditions, scenery, etc, around a person, place, or thing; environment

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Explanation

Your surroundings are the things all around you. When you park your car in a huge lot, paying attention to your surroundings can help you find the car again later. You can use the noun surroundings to mean the nearby environment — all of the objects close by, as well as the location itself — and also the circumstances or conditions where you are. When someone builds a house, the surroundings will help determine which direction it will face and how many windows it will have. Surroundings stems from surround, "be all around," but originally "flood or overflow."

Example Sentences

Wearers will be able to access information, manage daily tasks, navigate their surroundings, communicate, and interact with mobile apps, according to company press releases.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Researchers believe this strange asymmetry could be caused by active processes within the system, such as fresh material falling into the disk or interactions with nearby surroundings.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

At Rise Bagels in Irvine, Calif., owner John Park draws from both his Korean heritage and his Orange County surroundings.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

It showed penguins, fur seals and polar bears attempting to adapt to their ever-changing surroundings, against the backdrop of glaciers and arctic volcanoes.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

She didn’t think he had even experienced true depression, despite the grimness of his surroundings and what would seem to others to be insurmountable obstacles.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• ambience
• atmosphere
• background
• climate
• environment
• environs
• location
• milieu
• mise en scène
• neighborhood
• setting