Showing results for "surrounded"

• past participle of surround.
• past tense form of surround.

surrounded

American  

[suh-raun-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

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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

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Explanation

Are there people on every side of you, giving you no way to escape? Then you're surrounded. Sorry to hear it! Being surrounded is one way of being trapped, but it's a trap caused by other people. On TV shows, you'll often hear police officers say to a criminal: "Come out with your hands up. You're surrounded!" If a criminal is surrounded, then the police have every exit covered — there are police on all sides. If you look closely at surrounded, you'll see round in it — just picture that round circle trapping someone in, and you will remember the meaning of surrounded.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surrounded

These form where magnetic fields penetrate the material, creating small regions surrounded by circulating electrical currents.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Several bodyguards surrounded Kapustin as he laid out his bargain: The RVC was offering membership in an elite fighting force, he told Stupnikov, but it was a one-way ticket.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

“When you’ve already surrounded yourself with queer circles that seem so safe, it’s often easy to forget many of the realities you experienced before,” Guitarrica says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Outdoors, a swimming pool anchors the backyard, surrounded by mature trees and multiple areas for lounging, dining, and hosting guests.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

And also—a little harder to explain—I felt a sort of calm when surrounded by plants, especially ones I’d helped grow.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

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Related Words

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