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
Four armies, representing the so-called "moderate" factions of China* were encircling Hankow from all directions except the Northwest.
From Time Magazine Archive
Mr. Roosevelt ridiculed the Dictators' complaint that the Democracies were "encircling" them.
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
But no matter how stringent the effort, the thicknesses of middle age were encircling him and threatening to overwhelm the athlete’s body, the Marine’s body of which he was so proud.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
