Encompass Meaning
/ɪnˈkʌmpəs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo form a circle around; to encircle.
verbTo include within its scope; to circumscribe or go round so as to surround; to enclose; to contain.
Sentence Examples
The optimal formula which would encompass all these factors has not been proposed.
The heavens rotate and encompass the earth, which stands in the middle.
Writing cannot express all words, words cannot encompass all ideas.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The new national park will ____ a vast area of desert and mountains.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new project will ____ a wide range of academic subjects.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English encompassen. By surface analysis, en- + compass.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"his piercing inſtruments of ſight:
Whose fiery circles beare encompaſſed
A heauen of heauenly bodies in their Spheares:"
— c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene i:
"Those trajectories encompassed absolute social extremes: the kings of France making their solemn entries into Paris through the Ludovician Arch of the Porte [...]"
— 1994, Richard Mowery Andrews, Law, Magistracy, and Crime in Old Regime Paris, page 551:
"In order to address the systematic, processual character of interpersonal interactions — the larger mosaic of micro-level patterns — we must postulate subapparent but encompassing structures of social activity."
— 2017, Paul B. Stretesky, Michael J. Lynch, Radical and Marxist Theories of Crime:
"Beauty is complicated; it’s an individual response to how we live our lives – but it can also encompass kindness and compassion."
— 2020 March 6, Catherine Opie, “Catherine Opie: ‘Beauty has to encompass more about the human condition’”, in CNN:
"In developing a new theme for this year’s rounds of Spooktober posts, we decided to look beyond the realm of strictly horror games to cover a topic that we hadn’t touched on before, one that encompasses games generally and allows for a little “outside the box” thinking. Our Spooktober theme this year is “The Horror that Surrounds.”"
— 2024 October 3, CARY, “Spooktober: The Horror that Surrounds”, in VIRTUAL BASTION:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The new national park will ____ a vast area of desert and mountains.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new project will ____ a wide range of academic subjects.