surrounding

[suh-roun-ding]

noun

1. something that surrounds.

2. surroundings, environing things, circumstances, conditions, etc.; environment.

   He was too sick to be aware of his surroundings.

3. the act of encircling or enclosing.

adjective

1. enclosing or encircling.

2. being the environment or adjacent area.

Word History and Origins

Origin of surrounding¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: literally “inundation”; surround, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Synonym Study

See environment.

Example Sentences

Like many Syrians, the residents of Ma’an and the surrounding villages are aching to find answers about hundreds of missing relatives.

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I take the opportunity to actually look at my surroundings rather than run through them.

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Her window of opportunity to escape had not yet opened, but in the meanwhile she could at least take a walk and see her surroundings.

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The kitchen had been so full of strong cooking smells that no one had remarked upon her barnyard scent, but here, in the spotless surroundings of the Swanburne Apartment, it was impossible to miss.

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The biscuits were for her own use, in case the Incorrigibles themselves got carried away and needed to be lured back to more civilized surroundings.

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Related Words

• neighboring