surrounding 1 of 2

adjective

as in encircling

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surrounding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of surround
as in encompassing
to form a circle around she was surrounded by cheering fans within moments of scoring the winning goal

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 surrounding
Adjective
Some critics of the budget cuts argue that the bar may be high but merited, given what the museum has to offer Brussels in terms of art, direct and indirect employment, and revitalizing the surrounding, low-income neighborhood. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 10 Sep. 2026 Connecticut farmers have been watching how surrounding states have handled the bright red flying bug and adjusted their farms accordingly. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026 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
Verb
Also excluded from the map are the University of Kansas Medical Center and the surrounding corner of Wyandotte County alongside existing STAR bond districts for other projects. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026 The third-quarter earnings season is gaining momentum, with investors closely watching corporate outlooks amid rising costs and uncertainty surrounding artificial intelligence spending. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 Striking staffers flooded the surrounding streets, lined the balcony of the R Street Parking Garage. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026 The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 The service Roughly 75% of the team comes from the surrounding communities; the rest are from other parts of Namibia. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026 In 1983, for instance, Page launched from the lawn of Asheville’s Biltmore Estate, counting on the wind to carry his balloon beyond the miles of forest surrounding the property. — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026 In the Javari Valley, some villages serve as voting hubs for surrounding communities. — Gabriela Sá Pessoa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 In late September 2022, explosions ripped through the two pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm, releasing plumes of gas into the surrounding water and sparking a cross-border investigation. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surrounding
  1. embracing
  2. encircling
  3. connecting
  4. encompassing
  5. connected
  6. circling
  7. attached
  8. ringing
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
  • 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
Adjective
  • For families Ski vacations and mountain vacations are meant to be enjoyed with the whole family—there’s little that is more connecting than a day on the slopes.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of connecting
Verb
  • In 2001, portions of the installation were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Quantico Marine Corps Base Historic District, encompassing 122 buildings, two landscapes, a sculpture and a water tower.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District, encompassing all of Bucks County and part of Montgomery County, was thought to be Democrats' longest shot of the four.
    — Dan Snyder, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of encompassing
Adjective
  • The easiest way is to access the Gemini settings for Personal Intelligence and disable the connected apps.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Depending on the connected device and setup, riders can access functions such as calls, music, and navigation through the display.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of connected
Verb
  • And the idea of circling the behavior of a group of people in a room.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In 2001, Michelle remembers hiding under her desk and hearing helicopters circling over her school.
    — Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of circling
Adjective
  • The fire appeared to have destroyed the attached garage of the condo complex, and at least four vehicles appeared to have been destroyed inside the garage.
    — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Outside are a patio, mature landscaping, and an attached garage.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of attached
Verb
  • The bell, sans artist, continues to mark the passage of time, ringing every hour over the pavilion and its guests, a grotesque altar to the ongoing Venetian apocalypse.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Her phone was on the driver’s seat, ringing constantly, a police officer testified.
    — Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of ringing

Browse Nearby Words

surrounded
surrounding
surroundings
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Cite this Entry

“Surrounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surrounding. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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