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tr.v. en·com·passed, en·com·pass·ing, en·com·pass·es 1. To form a circle or ring around; encircle. 2. To enclose; envelop: "The blackness of the eternal night encompassed me" (Edgar Allan Poe). 3. To have as part of something larger; include: a galaxy encompassing billions of stars. See Synonyms at include. en·compass·ment n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
