encircles

verb

present tense third-person singular of encircle
1
as in traverses
to travel completely around communication satellites encircling the earth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in surrounds
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 encircles Instead, a bright ring of sunlight encircles the moon's silhouette, often called a 'ring of fire'. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2026 The butterfly encircles Larsson's eye, with its wings spanning the whole area from her inner brow to well past its tip. — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 6 July 2026 The tubing with inline emitters, shown at bottom, encircles a citrus. — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026 This 22-mile network of trails and parks is built along a historic railway corridor that encircles the city. — Lia Picard, AFAR Media, 29 Jan. 2026 Many travelers choose to explore the area via the Ring of Kerry, the scenic drive that encircles the peninsula. — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2026 The Chicago Outerbelt, a 210-mile trail that encircles the city, intrigued our copy editor. — Diane Penningroth, Midwest Living, 12 June 2026 The polar jet stream is a ribbon of air that encircles the Northern Hemisphere at high altitudes and determines atmospheric pressure patterns. — Evan Bush, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026 In the center of Washington Park is a lagoon, which once weaved in a crescent shape around a peninsula in a configuration that annoyed boaters, but now encircles a central island called Bynum Island. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 15 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for encircles
  1. traverses
  2. surrounds
  3. circles
  4. orbits
  5. rings
  6. crosses
Verb
  • Like Orton’s prior work, The Ground Above traverses some tricky emotional terrain.
    — David Harris, SPIN, 29 June 2026
  • On July 6, the route traverses Tilden Regional Park and Briones Regional Park before finishing at Heather Farm Park.
    — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 29 June 2026
Definition of traverses
Verb
  • With Harry's anticipated return to the UK this week, much interest surrounds the very public royal rift and many are wondering if the brothers will reunite.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Biddinger hopes the shrine at Queen of Heaven will help diminish the stigma that still often surrounds suicide.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of surrounds
Verb
  • The gas giant circles its star at an unexpectedly close distance—about 50 times nearer than the Earth’s orbit around the sun.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 1 July 2026
  • Chapter 1 Randy Fields stalks through the newsroom, circles my desk and sits across from me.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026
Definition of circles
Verb
  • Should the luminiferous ether exist, then scientists reasoned that as the Earth orbits the sun at around 66,000 miles per hour (106,216 kilometers per hour), our planet should be moving through the ether, which had been deemed to be stationary.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 3 July 2026
  • Psyche is a nickel-iron core asteroid that orbits the sun beyond Mars anywhere from 235 million to 309 million miles away.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2026
Definition of orbits
Verb
  • In fact, the only thing that rings true is how the Three Lions end up exiting the tournament.
    — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
  • But don’t tell that to winger Timothy Weah, who could be in line for his first start of the tournament as Pochettino rings the changes to keep his players fresh for the round of 32.
    — David Hickey, NBC news, 25 June 2026
Definition of rings
Verb
  • Vic examines the game’s boundaries and repeatedly crosses them, while mostly failing to keep a straight face.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 30 June 2026
  • The trail starts in a glade, crosses a bridge over a creek, then emerges into alpine pasture and scree surrounded by high peaks.
    — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of crosses

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encirclements
encircles
encircling
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Cite this Entry

“Encircles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encircles. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on encircles

Nglish: Translation of encircles for Spanish Speakers

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