surround

[suh-round]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR surround ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to enclose on all sides; encompass: She was surrounded by reporters.

to form an enclosure round; encircle: A stone wall surrounds the estate.

to enclose (a body of troops, a fort or town, etc.) so as to cut off communication or retreat.

noun

something that surrounds, as the area, border, etc., around an object or central space: a tile surround for the shower stall.

environment or setting: The designer created a Persian surround for the new restaurant.

Hunting.

a means of hunting in which wild animals are encircled and chased into a special spot that makes their escape impossible.
the act of hunting by this means.
the location encircled by hunters using this means.

Origin of surround

1400–50; late Middle English surounden to inundate, submerge < Anglo-French surounder, Middle French s(o)ronder < Late Latin superundāre to overflow, equivalent to Latin super- super- + undāre to flood, derivative of unda wave (see undulate); current spelling by analysis as sur-¹ + round¹ (v.)

Related formspre·sur·round, verb (used with object)un·sur·round·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for surround

inundate, besiege, envelop, ring, circle, beleaguer, bound, beset, gird, rim, verge, circumscribe, encompass, skirt, circumvent, border, limit, confine, blockade, compass

Examples from the Web for surround

Contemporary Examples of surround

Think Afghanistan and pieces of all the countries that surround it, including and especially Iran.
ISIS Targets Afghanistan Just as the U.S. Quits
Sami Yousafzai, Christopher Dickey
December 19, 2014
The first potential scientific secret to improving your bedroom experience: surround yourself with men.
Was 2014 the Year Science Discovered The Female Orgasm?
Samantha Allen
December 6, 2014
Brittany has decided that her husband and family will, Nov. 1, in her own bed, surround her that day.
On Her Own Terms: Why Brittany Maynard Has Chosen to Die
Gene Robinson
October 12, 2014
Living as they do in the heart of the volatile Caucasus, Georgians are only too aware of the fires that surround them.
ISIS on Georgia’s Mind
Anna Nemtsova
September 26, 2014
In On Saudi Arabia, journalist Karen Elliott House describes the odd silence that seems to surround the House of Saud.
Will Saudi Arabia Execute Guest Workers for 'Witchcraft'?
Michael Schulson
March 29, 2014

Historical Examples of surround

"Surround her with a bodyguard, if you like," said the General.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
And as you can see, we surround ourselves with all means of enlightenment.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
I shall place it in my room and surround it with fresh flowers.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
It was Mrs. Vansittart's pleasant habit to surround herself with every comfort.
Roden's Corner
Henry Seton Merriman
They must surround me, you observe, and therefore they are here.
Barnaby Rudge
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for surround

surround

verb (tr)

to encircle or enclose or cause to be encircled or enclosed

to deploy forces on all sides of (a place or military formation), so preventing access or retreat

to exist aroundI dislike the people who surround her

noun

mainly British a border, esp the area of uncovered floor between the walls of a room and the carpet or around an opening or panel

mainly US

a method of capturing wild beasts by encircling the area in which they are believed to be
the area so encircled

Derived Formssurrounding, adjective

Word Origin for surround

C15 surrounden to overflow, from Old French suronder, from Late Latin superundāre, from Latin super- + undāre to abound, from unda a wave

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for surround

early 15c., "to flood, overflow," from Middle French soronder "to overflow, abound, surpass, dominate," from Late Latin superundare "overflow," from Latin super "over" (see super-) + undare "to flow in waves," from unda "wave" (see water (n.); and cf. abound). Sense of "to shut in on all sides" first recorded 1610s, influenced by figurative meaning in French of "dominate," and by sound association with round. Related: Surrounded; surrounding.