Encompass

//ɪnˈkʌmpəs// verb

verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To form a circle around; to encircle. transitive
  2. 2
    include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory wordnet
  3. 3
    To include within its scope; to circumscribe or go round so as to surround; to enclose; to contain. transitive

    "his piercing inſtruments of ſight: Whose fiery circles beare encompaſſed A heauen of heauenly bodies in their Spheares:"

  4. 4
    To include completely; to describe fully or comprehensively. transitive

    "This book on English grammar encompasses all irregular verbs."

  5. 5
    To go around, especially, to circumnavigate. transitive

    "Drake encompassed the globe."

Synonyms

All synonyms
embracecomprehendcomprehendembraceencircleinclude

Example

More examples

"The optimal formula which would encompass all these factors has not been proposed."

Etymology

From Middle English encompassen. By surface analysis, en- + compass.

Related phrases

all-encompassing

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.