surrounded

American  

[suh-roun-did] / səˈraʊn dɪd /

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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unsurrounded adjective

Etymology

Origin of surrounded

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

The Grammy nominated singer-songwriter "passed away peacefully" on Saturday morning "surrounded by his loving family", his family said on social media.

From BBC

Murdoch-Mann was an active philanthropist and died on 17 February "surrounded by family" at her home in Palm Beach, Florida.

From BBC

It was surrounded by thick woods and rocky hills where the children wandered.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite both being successful in their chosen jobs, and having young children growing up surrounded by the buzz of the city on a London terraced street, they felt something was missing.

From BBC

In some cases, these factories are surrounded by membranes and serve as sites for DNA replication, resembling a primitive version of a cell nucleus.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• ringed