surrounded

[suh-roun-did]

adjective

1. (of troops, a fort or town, etc.) encircled or hemmed in by enemies on all sides so as to cut off communication or retreat.

   Only a few of the surrounded infantrymen survived, escaping in the darkness of the early morning.

2. enclosed or shut in on all sides, as by a barrier or border, desert or mountains, etc. (usually used in combination).

   The huge master bedroom features a granite-surrounded whirlpool tub.

   The surrounded parcel of land is provided with road access by a right-of-way through one of the encircling properties.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of surround.

Other Word Forms

• unsurrounded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of surrounded¹

First recorded in 1590–1600, for an earlier sense; surround ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; surround ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

"Our house is surrounded with pictures of her," he said.

From BBC

Neil Gibbons says in the early days Partridge was surrounded by "reasonable" people, meaning he would often be the one saying something "stupid".

From BBC

As the entire set catches fire, she's wheeled out on a hospital gurney, surrounded by dancers in red plague doctors costumes, who operate on her lifeless body.

From BBC

"People in poorer areas are surrounded by junk food advertising, more unhealthy takeaways, and face bigger barriers to buying healthy food," she says.

From BBC

But as tiny as Muir may have felt in that moment, surrounded by a record crowd for a women's rugby union match, Mitchell is already looking to the new heights his team can reach.

From BBC

Related Words

• ringed