- 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.
“It felt ironic that as a healthcare worker providing mental health services to the community surrounding USC, that USC was taking away my own mental health options,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Most counties surrounding the capital have experienced little job growth since the pandemic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
New research now suggests that changes in the space environment surrounding the Sun may also have played an important role.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
An inquest into the circumstances surrounding Deakin's death will now be opened.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Like the squirrels, and the cats and swans and foxes in London, they came galloping to him, clustering round, surrounding him and Mal in a great press of dazzling white bodies.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
