surrounding

American  

[suh-roun-ding] / səˈraʊn dɪŋ /

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.

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adjective

1. enclosing or encircling.

2. being the environment or adjacent area.

Related Words

See environment.

Etymology

Origin of surrounding

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

Example Sentences

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin after mould accidentally contaminated a laboratory dish and killed surrounding bacteria.

From Science Daily

Shareholders are now left to wonder what kind of vision the next chief executive will have as the company stands in the center of the debate surrounding how AI will impact the future of software.

From Barron's

The blaze last Sunday started in a vape shop at 105 Union Street and since then a tangled web of ownership has emerged surrounding who had responsibility for the shop there.

From BBC

For years, Washington maintained a hub-and-spoke approach to allies surrounding China, nurturing singular relationships with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia and others.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Clearly, the ECB’s March meeting is going to be dominated by discussions surrounding the conflict in Iran,” analysts at RBC Capital Markets said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• neighboring