surroundings

British  

/ səˈraʊndɪŋz /

plural noun

1. the conditions, scenery, etc, around a person, place, or thing; environment

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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."

Example Sentences

Historic England recommended the cottage for listed status and its East of England regional director, Tony Calladine, said it was "a rare record of how people once depended on their natural surroundings".

From BBC • May 13, 2026

“To get a chance to walk in here and just feel this and see all of these surroundings and the things that took place in this venue is pretty special,” Chesney said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

Among the initiatives he oversees is the creation of a digital twin of Weyerhaeuser’s timberlands using satellite imagery, drone photography and lidar, a laser-based sensor technology that self-driving cars use to map their surroundings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

The school has around 1,200 students from Shia-majority Nabatieh and its surroundings.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

The bespectacled man seated behind it is almost invisible, blending in with his surroundings.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• ambience
• atmosphere
• background
• climate
• environment
• environs
• location
• milieu
• mise en scène
• neighborhood
• setting