1
as in to surround
to form a circle around
a necklace of sapphire-blue lakes encompasses the town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to include
to have as part of a whole
textbooks on American history are now likely to encompass its social history as well as its political and military history
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to wrap
to surround or cover closely
a fog of mystery has long encompassed this fraternal organization, which is known for its secret rituals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of encompass
Freedom, for instance, encompasses principles such as freedom of speech.
—
Big Think, 11 Sep. 2025
The new area spans from southern Orange County into the extreme northern parts of San Diego County, encompassing the San Onofre and Agra areas, including parts of northwest Camp Pendleton.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
But before they’re canned, jarred, or tinned, anchovies—a term that encompasses more than 140 species of fish—swim the ocean in large schools.
—Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
An intentionally broad category, the genre encompasses and moves between subgenres which are united by their conspicuous lack of realism.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encompass
Big Think, 11 Sep. 2025
The new area spans from southern Orange County into the extreme northern parts of San Diego County, encompassing the San Onofre and Agra areas, including parts of northwest Camp Pendleton.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
But before they’re canned, jarred, or tinned, anchovies—a term that encompasses more than 140 species of fish—swim the ocean in large schools.
—Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
An intentionally broad category, the genre encompasses and moves between subgenres which are united by their conspicuous lack of realism.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for encompass
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encompass
Verb
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The Jets also failed twice to convert on two-point conversions, once in the first half (Braelon Allen was stuffed) and again in the fourth quarter — after needlessly burning a timeout, Fields forced a throw to Wilson, surrounded by three defensive backs, in the back right corner of the end zone.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Fire containment Understanding what 14% containment means Containment indicates what percentage of the fire perimeter has been surrounded by a control line.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An audio jack is also included.—
Jorge Jimenez,
PC Magazine,
10 Sep. 2025
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At its Awe-Dropping Event in Cupertino, Apple announced four new iPhones, including the iPhone 17, iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro series.—
Prakhar Khanna,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In at least one post, he can be seen dragging a saltwater crocodile out of the water and holding it up to the camera with his hands wrapped around its neck.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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The first photo in the carousel showed Brooks posing with her arms wrapped around her husband-to-be, flashing her ring as the couple posed for the camera in the black-and-white shot.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By Thursday morning, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The Federal Detention Center in SeaTac, Washington, stands just a few minutes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a blocky concrete tower encircled by chain-link fencing and razor wire.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kirk had been asked a question about transgender individuals involved in mass shootings, a single shot was heard, striking him in the neck.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
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While these hoaxes mostly ended up being false alarms, experts note that these types of hoaxes are not only a serious crime with substantial penalties for those involved but can also put first responders and bystanders at risk.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Gradually, the darkness surrounding them gave way to buildings and overhead lights, until the red of dawn enveloped the coast alongside them.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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Gnawing paranoia inevitably awakens Pynchon’s characters to the matrix of control enveloping their lives.—
John Lopez,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement The panel has already obtained roughly 33,000 pages of records from the Justice Department, though Democrats have complained those disclosures contained little new information.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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Eventually, the Nepali army was deployed to contain the situation.—
Rajeev Tyagi,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On the ground in Wedgewood Houston, a tiny bird fought an army of enclosing fire ants, wildly kicking and flailing.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
9 Sep. 2025
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In its former terrain, today’s Tamiami Trail used to run along a ridge above the Glaswegian Suture, a geologic feature that enclosed a large body of water now known as the Gulf of Mexico.—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Encompass.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encompass. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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