encompass

[ en-kuhm-puh s ]
/ ɛnˈkʌm pəs /

verb (used with object)

to form a circle about; encircle; surround: He built a moat to encompass the castle.
to enclose; envelop: The folds of a great cloak encompassed her person.
to include comprehensively: a work that encompasses the entire range of the world's religious beliefs.
Obsolete. to outwit.

Origin of encompass

First recorded in 1545–55; en-1 + compass

OTHER WORDS FROM encompass

en·com·pass·ment, noun un·en·com·passed, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for encompassment

  • But mystery I then accepted as the only complement, the encompassment, of what we know of our life.

    Heart of Man |George Edward Woodberry
  • But her encompassment, as is so apt to be the case here, was pitiably mediocre.

    The Adventures of a Widow |Edgar Fawcett

British Dictionary definitions for encompassment

encompass
/ (ɪnˈkʌmpəs) /

verb (tr)

to enclose within a circle; surround
to bring about; cause to happen; contrive he encompassed the enemy's ruin
to include entirely or comprehensively this book encompasses the whole range of knowledge

Derived forms of encompass

encompassment, noun