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.
Round eight of Formula 1 season takes place in Austria this weekend in the stunning surroundings of the Styrian hills.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
By blending into its surroundings as something predators are likely to ignore, the spider may reduce its chances of being eaten.
From Science Daily • Jun. 17, 2026
Augmented reality is a technology that overlays digital displays against real-world surroundings.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
But overall, it’s an inventive conceit for a scavenger hunt that prompts Felix and Marigold to re-examine their surroundings, recording the sounds of summer as they go.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Ophie’s slow pace through the house gave her time to study her surroundings a bit more than she had earlier that morning.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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.
