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

Hundreds of supporters surrounded the Iranian Lionesses' coach as it left the stadium on the Gold Coast on Sunday evening, with chants of "save our girls".

From BBC

They later surrounded the Iranian team bus, chanting "let them go" and "save our girls".

From Barron's

The first firefighters arrived by 9:45 a.m. as neighbors watched flames rise 10 to 15 feet above the roofline, surrounded by trees bending in the wind.

From Los Angeles Times

In the town's cemetery, an AFP journalist saw a hole that looked like a dug-up grave, surrounded by other tombstones.

From Barron's

The round stage is surrounded by comfortable theater seating, creating strong sightlines from nearly every angle.

From Salon

Related Words

• ringed