encircling 1 of 2

adjective

as in surrounding

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encircling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of encircle
1
as in circling
to travel completely around communication satellites encircling the earth

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in encompassing
to form a circle around immediately after announcing their engagement, the couple was encircled by their applauding friends

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of encircling
Verb
There are no bleachers, so spectators set up lawn chairs encircling the field. — Kelenna Onukwugha, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026 Its signature Hémisphère features fine grooves encircling each plate like rings around a planet. — Angela Tafoya, Architectural Digest, 21 Aug. 2026 The zoning resolution for the Manhattanville extension explicitly forbids encircling any of the outdoor spaces with gates or fences. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 19 Aug. 2026 Finding a planet-forming disk of gas and dust encircling all three stars in a system is very rare, and finding a disk consisting of three rings with misaligned orbits is even stranger. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Champions Nigeria enter with 10 stars encircling the crest on their jerseys, having won 10 of the previous 13 WAFCONs, and looking to add an 11th. — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 26 July 2026 The stone is halo-set on a pavé band—jewelry lingo for having a ring of small white diamonds encircling the stone and covering the band. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 21 July 2026 Cheers roared from the crowd encircling the concrete arena as two skateboarders slammed into each other at top speed. — Miami Herald, 25 June 2026 Styled by Brad Goreski, Moore wore a custom cobalt blue Self Portrait gown with an oversized bow encircling the hips, falling into a train. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircling
  1. surrounding
  2. circling
  3. embracing
  4. orbiting
  5. connecting
  6. traversing
  7. joined
  8. attached
Adjective
  • The system, which serves 100,000 residents in Iowa City and its surrounding, mostly rural communities, typifies the challenges most libraries face.
    — Adeel Hassan, New York Times, 18 May 2026
  • Since then, the bustling market serves the surrounding and significant Latino community and others.
    — Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Definition of surrounding
Verb
  • Lavin points to a franchise staple as the moment worth circling.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Sketch the logo, share the joke, test the recipe, or try whatever has been circling your imagination.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of circling
Adjective
  • The saints’ days are celebrated, the great days of history are celebrated, and they’re celebrated with this sort of enormous exuberance and deep investment that is somehow very, very touching, very embracing, and very inclusive.
    — Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 2 Sep. 2025
Definition of embracing
Verb
  • In 2001, Canadarm2 was attached to the International Space Station and used to help build the orbiting laboratory.
    — Joanna Goodrich, IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Canada's GHGSat has a program in which employees name the company's Earth-orbiting satellites after family members, which has generated names from real-life people like Eleonore and Penny.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of orbiting
Adjective
  • Znotins acknowledges that the airline makes prices for those non-connecting trips expensive to discourage non-connecting customers from booking them.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Gateway is modified to first repair the old 1910 tunnel immediately and construct a more economical new tunnel (without expensive and unneeded bench walls and cross-connecting passageways) and link it directly into Penn Station.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2026
Definition of connecting
Verb
  • Now, agents are capable of performing sophisticated workflows and traversing multiple applications by leveraging a critical artifact of modern computing, the application programming interface (API).
    — George C. Lee II, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The pair left their vehicle to find assistance, traversing salt flats toward Badwater Road, a two-lane highway encircled by mountains.
    — Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of traversing
Adjective
  • Jones, the former Apple exec who recently re-joined Amazon, padded out the programming wish list.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Kar, the company’s CEO, was a founding team member at Palo Alto Networks and oversaw Juniper Networks’ entire Ethernet portfolio before the two joined forces at Auradine, a blockchain and AI chip startup where Upscale was incubated.
    — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 22 June 2026
Definition of joined
Adjective
  • Luckily, most clothes have their own set of washing instructions, conveniently located on the attached care label.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The residence has a total of seven bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and a powder room in 6,200 square feet, including an apartment above the attached two-car garage.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of attached

Browse Nearby Words

encircles
encircling
enclasp
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Cite this Entry

“Encircling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircling. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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