surrounded

[ suh-roun-did ]

adjective

1. (of troops, a fort or town, etc.) encircled or hemmed in by enemies on all sides so as to cut off communication or retreat:

   Only a few of the surrounded infantrymen survived, escaping in the darkness of the early morning.

2. enclosed or shut in on all sides, as by a barrier or border, desert or mountains, etc. (usually used in combination):

   The huge master bedroom features a granite-surrounded whirlpool tub.

   The surrounded parcel of land is provided with road access by a right-of-way through one of the encircling properties.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of surround.

Other Words From

• un·sur·round·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of surrounded¹

First recorded in 1590–1600, for an earlier sense; surround ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; surround ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

He made sure he was surrounded by people who weren't going to question him.

From BBC

“I'm surrounded by all this up-to-date technology, everything's working well,” he says.

From BBC

“Four years ago, some of the people that surrounded Trump were very much pro-settlements and pro-annexing, but it didn't work like that last time. I predict it's not going to work like that this time around.”

From BBC

He was surrounded by his children, siblings and close family, his publicist, Arnold Robinson, said at the time.

From Los Angeles Times

Memory prompts provide the illusion of memory by reminding us of a key event, while simultaneously giving us a shortcut to forgetting most of what surrounded it.

From Slate

Related Words

• ringed