Library / English Dictionary

ENCIRCLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Bind with something round or circular

Synonyms:

encircle; gird

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "encircle" is one way to...):

bind (make fast; tie or secure, with or as if with a rope)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "encircle"):

hoop (bind or fasten with a hoop)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Form or draw a circle around

Example:

encircle the errors

Synonyms:

circle; encircle

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "encircle" is one way to...):

form; shape (give shape or form to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

encirclement (a war measure that isolates some area of importance to the enemy)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Tissues that contain neurons and supporting cells that form the covers encircling nerves, nerve fibers, and axons.

(Nerve Tissue and Nerve Sheaths, NCI Thesaurus)

A bandlike device or structure that encircles a body part or another device.

(Cuff Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

A protective cover encircling a nerve, nerve fiber or axon.

(Nerve Sheath, NCI Thesaurus)

Hubble revealed a pancake-shaped disk of gas encircling the star.

(Hubble Observes One-of-a-Kind Star Nicknamed 'Nasty', NASA)

The tempests, which can grow into bright bands that encircle the entire planet, are on a natural timer that is reset by each subsequent storm.

(Study Explains Saturn's Epic Tantrums, NASA)

A narrow cloud band encircles the planet north of the equator.

(Hubble Reveals Dynamic Atmospheres of Uranus, Neptune, NASA)

In Europe, large nets and harpoons are being developed to catch debris encircling our planet.

(Australia Developing Lasers to Track, Destroy Space Junk, VOA)

In this purplish light Wolf Larsen’s face glowed and glowed, and to my excited fancy he appeared encircled by a halo.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Vast rings of electrically charged particles encircle the Earth and other planets.

(Scientists deepen understanding of magnetic fields that surround Earth, National Science Foundation)

When I finished my last letter I stated that we were within seven miles from an enormous line of ruddy cliffs, which encircled, beyond all doubt, the plateau of which Professor Challenger spoke.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)