encircle
verb (used with object)
to form a circle around; surround; encompass.
were encircling
-
past progressiveof encircle.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
By 6 a.m. the next day: The white rancher hats slowly were encircling Folsom Field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2023
Mr. Roosevelt ridiculed the Dictators' complaint that the Democracies were "encircling" them.
From Time Magazine Archive
There stood Jimmy Swaggart, 52, the king of evangelistic video, ready to confront the ugly rumors that were encircling his busy, buzzing gospel conglomerate.
From Time Magazine Archive
Before mop-up units in Bardia had finished prying the last pockets of Italian Terribili from their wadi hideouts, the two points were encircling Tobruch.
From Time Magazine Archive
He spun around, the familiar, icy cold penetrating his insides, fog starting to obscure his vision; more were appearing out of the darkness on every side; they were encircling them....
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
