surrounding

American  

[suh-roun-ding] / səˈraʊn dɪŋ /

noun

1. something that surrounds.

2. surroundings, environing things, circumstances, conditions, etc.; environment.

   He was too sick to be aware of his surroundings.

3. the act of encircling or enclosing.

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adjective

1. enclosing or encircling.

2. being the environment or adjacent area.

Related Words

See environment.

Etymology

Origin of surrounding

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: literally “inundation”; surround, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

If the eruption had occurred in August, the population surrounding Vesuvius would have been far denser than usual and the death toll potentially higher.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead, writing in his Paulsen Perspectives blog, the Wall Street veteran sets out a number of “less-followed warning signs surrounding technology stocks, which merit some consideration.”

From MarketWatch

The departures come at a time of great uncertainty surrounding the game in Wales.

From BBC

Their structure allows them to absorb water and nutrients directly from their surroundings.

From Science Daily

That heat weakens the surrounding material, allowing the rupture to keep moving forward and grow stronger as it spreads.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• neighboring