girdling

verb

present participle of girdle
1
as in wrapping
to encircle or bind with or as if with a belt trees girdled the campus, essentially hiding it from view wire girdling the bundle of firewood

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in circling
to travel completely around an asteroid belt that girdles the inner planets of the solar system

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in surrounding
to form a circle around the rings that famously girdle the planet Saturn

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 girdling The tree is less likely to survive if insects or sapsuckers drill holes all the way around the trunk, girdling the tree and eventually starving it. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2026 Also, the rootball should be inspected for circling or girdling roots. — Larry Figart, Florida Times-Union, 14 Jan. 2026 Removing this layer restricts the tree from moving water up from the roots or nutrients back down, a process known as girdling. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025 The new levee begins at the city of San Mateo’s border and runs below the San Mateo Bridge before girdling the city’s borders. — John King, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for girdling
  1. wrapping
  2. circling
  3. surrounding
  4. traversing
  5. encircling
  6. orbiting
Verb
  • Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, faced reporters for the first time Tuesday for a very brief turn at the lectern, taking a handful of questions before abruptly wrapping it up.
    — Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The gold numbering, along with a single gold racing stripe wrapping around the armholes, and a distinct gold-and-white striping pattern running down the right side of both the jersey and the shorts.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of wrapping
Verb
  • Imagine Entertainment, was also circling Kraus’ scientifically accurate book.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • If there is indeed an exoplanet circling TIC 4206066, Rabtsevich may not actually be the first to have seen it.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of circling
Verb
  • Sepesi hopes the worldwide attention surrounding the Pope's diagnosis will encourage more people to learn about lung cancer.
    — Tori Mason, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • With so much drama surrounding Taverner and Sid, in particular, the episode keeps most of the other characters on the back burner until next week’s finale.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of surrounding
Verb
  • Oil drops as Hormuz traffic rebounds Oil prices fell as new data showed crude exports from the Middle East surpassed prewar levels, though any respite may be short-lived as attacks on tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz increased.
    — Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad operates between Durango and Silverton, traversing the San Juan National Forest and running along the Animas River.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of traversing
Verb
  • Captured by the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, or SMILE, the footage reveals the full ring of auroral activity encircling Earth's north pole in ultraviolet light, stretching across both the night and day sides of our planet.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Dumas watched, charmed, his arms encircling his wife’s shoulders, and accepted an ice-cream sundae in a silver parfait cup.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of encircling
Verb
  • These can profoundly affect our orbiting satellites and power grid, so understanding the sun’s magnetic activity actually very much impacts us here on Earth.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Pioneer 12, also known as the Pioneer Venus Orbiter, spent 14 years orbiting Venus and studying the planet's atmosphere.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of orbiting

Browse Nearby Words

girdles
girdling
girds
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Cite this Entry

“Girdling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girdling. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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