- present participle of surround.
surrounding
Americannoun
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something that surrounds.
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surroundings, environing things, circumstances, conditions, etc.; environment.
He was too sick to be aware of his surroundings.
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the act of encircling or enclosing.
adjective
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enclosing or encircling.
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being the environment or adjacent area.
Synonym Usage
See environment.
Etymology
Origin of surrounding
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English: literally “inundation”; see origin at surround, -ing 1, -ing 2
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.
The new ones are thick enough to block the bustling noise of surrounding streets, offering silence in units that's uncharacteristic of New York City apartments.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Evacuees from surrounding villages were bussed in to shelter in sports halls around the capital.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
This allowed them to describe more accurately how silver atoms interact with light and surrounding particles.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
The break left a giant sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and sent about 17 million gallons of water into surrounding neighborhoods, shuttering businesses, and flooding homes and underground parking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
“From my vantage point, the terrain surrounding the coordinates to which you are headed does not appear to be very hospitable. I do not want you to get stuck again.”
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
