enclose
Americanverb (used with object)
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to shut or hem in; close in on all sides.
a valley enclosed by tall mountains.
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to surround, as with a fence or wall.
to enclose land.
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to insert in the same envelope, package, or the like.
He enclosed a check.
A book was sent with the bill enclosed.
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to hold or contain.
His letter enclosed a check.
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Roman Catholic Church.
verb
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to close; hem in; surround
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to surround (land) with or as if with a fence
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to put in an envelope or wrapper, esp together with a letter
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to contain or hold
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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enclosernoun
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preencloseverb (used with object)
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reencloseverb (used with object)
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enclosableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enclosesimple
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enclosessimple
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have enclosedperfect
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has enclosedperfect
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am enclosingprogressive
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are enclosingprogressive
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is enclosingprogressive
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have been enclosingperfect progressive
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has been enclosingperfect progressive
Past
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enclosedsimple
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had enclosedperfect
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was enclosingprogressive
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were enclosingprogressive
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had been enclosingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enclose
First recorded in 1275–1325, enclose is from the Middle English word enclosen, inclosen. See in- 1, close
Explanation
To enclose something is to surround it or cover it up. An envelope encloses a letter. To enclose is to put something inside something else. A crowd of people could enclose a celebrity, or a wall might enclose a garden. In Edgar Allan Poe’s story “Masque of the Red Death,” the Prince encloses his party guests inside the castle walls (along with the Red Death). (Oops!) A box might enclose a present. If you enclose something with a letter, you’re putting it in the envelope, too.
Vocabulary lists containing enclose
Case Closed: Clud, Clus
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act V
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
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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:
Why not enclose Vuitton’s allotted space within the shell of a trans-Atlantic liner?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
A family found the cans - light-tight containers used to enclose film - in the shed belonging to their father, an editor on the show who died recently.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2024
The contractor asked if they wanted to move the washer and dryer to a different space in the home or enclose them to hide them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2024
Their capsule-like shape can enclose and protect mRNA, which provides instructions for cells to manufacture proteins.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 2024
I saw it as a dark, amorphous cloud that would descend from above and enclose us forever.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
But it had no lights of its own, so the volunteers used the LED lights and glow sticks to attach homemade Dodgers-themed signage to the fence that encloses the bridge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
Mr. Nesbø encloses “Wolf Hour,” translated from the Norwegian by Robert Ferguson, in a clever conceptual envelope: The book is being written years later by a Norwegian cousin of Bob’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
These extremely reactive molecules always occur in pairs and remain surrounded by solvent, which encloses the pairs of radicals like a kind of cage.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 18, 2024
Towards the back of the area so far excavated there is a wall that encloses three rooms.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2023
He encloses his hand around mine and shakes it once, then looks at the others.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
‘The ideal invention would be a light polyester air-conditioned undergarment, enclosed around the neck, wrists and ankles and battery operated.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Another thing that won’t change: Passengers will continue to walk across the tarmac from terminal to stairs to planes, rather than using the enclosed jetways common in other airports, especially larger ones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The media tribune is plush and enclosed, open windows allowing some of the atmosphere to drift in.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Couric interviewed Levi in February for her book club, and afterward Levi sent Couric a letter enclosed with a feather, one of the book’s motifs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
It’s the desert, and nothing is out here but empty land and what looks like thousands of acres enclosed by a simple wooden fence.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Bizarrely, a green gate and fence enclosing the site stood untouched.
From Barron's ● Mar. 7, 2026
Some hotels have been moving the sink and shower into the bedroom and enclosing the toilet in glass or placing it in cubby-like space, which helps make the room look more spacious, Hanson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
In fact, it later puffs up sideways and transforms into what looks like a huge cosmic watermelon, enclosing everything close by.
From Space Scoop ● Nov. 28, 2025
"Aside from the stylets, and being able to determine that some females were still enclosing eggs, other pertinent characters are not clearly visible," Poinar said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2024
Residents of upscale Hope Valley also wrote C.P. with their thanks—sometimes enclosing a check to support “your important work.”
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
