surroundings
Britishplural noun
Explanation
Your surroundings are the things all around you. When you park your car in a huge lot, paying attention to your surroundings can help you find the car again later. You can use the noun surroundings to mean the nearby environment — all of the objects close by, as well as the location itself — and also the circumstances or conditions where you are. When someone builds a house, the surroundings will help determine which direction it will face and how many windows it will have. Surroundings stems from surround, "be all around," but originally "flood or overflow."
Vocabulary lists containing surroundings
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her keepers said she was "settling in well" and was getting to know her new surroundings.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Monsoon storms can be unpredictable and trigger flash flooding in desert areas, so people should remain aware of their surroundings, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Algae can powerfully impact their surroundings, for good or ill.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
Now, he says, the company is seeing users buy glasses to get always-on access to an AI bot, and ask questions about their surroundings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
I gently pull away from my mother’s embrace, to look around at my surroundings.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
