circumscribe

[ sur-kuhm-skrahyb, sur-kuhm-skrahyb ]

verb (used with object)

, cir·cum·scribed, cir·cum·scrib·ing.

1. to draw a line around; encircle:

   to circumscribe a city on a map.

2. to enclose within bounds; limit or confine, especially narrowly:

   Her social activities are circumscribed by school regulations.

   Synonyms: hinder, hamper, check, restrain, restrict

3. to mark off; define; delimit:

   to circumscribe the area of a science.

4. Geometry.
   1. to draw (a figure) around another figure so as to touch as many points as possible.
   2. (of a figure) to enclose (another figure) in this manner.

circumscribe

/ ˌsɜːkəmˈskraɪb; ˈsɜːkəmˌskraɪb /

verb

1. to restrict within limits
2. to mark or set the bounds of
3. to draw a geometric construction around (another construction) so that the two are in contact but do not intersect Compare inscribe
4. to draw a line round

circumscribe

/ sûr′kəm-skrīb′ /

1. To draw a figure around another figure so as to touch as many points as possible. A circle that is circumscribed around a triangle touches it at each of the triangle's three vertices.

Derived Forms

• ˌcircumˈscriber, noun
• ˌcircumˈscribable, adjective

Other Words From

• circum·scriba·ble adjective
• circum·scriber noun
• non·circum·scribed adjective
• uncir·cum·scriba·ble adjective
• un·circum·scribed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of circumscribe¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin circumscrībere, equivalent to circum- circum- + scrībere to write

Word History and Origins

Origin of circumscribe¹

C15: from Latin circumscrībere, from circum- + scrībere to write

Example Sentences

Perhaps anyone could guess as much, but what a layman might never know without Stanford’s book is that our busy roads severely circumscribe the territory cougars can roam, leading to isolation and inbreeding.

From Los Angeles Times

As befits a creation story, “Furiosa” tracks Furiosa from childhood to young adulthood, a downward spiral that takes her from freedom to captivity and, in time, circumscribed sovereignty.

From New York Times

When, however, I search for “War on Terror, civilians killed” without even circumscribing the time range, I get about 850,000 results.

From Salon

Coolidge had attracted attention with an earlier documentary about her family, but “Not a Pretty Picture” led a curiously circumscribed existence.

From New York Times

While this elaborate system keeps monarchs headed in the right direction, it doesn’t fully explain their ability to home in on the same circumscribed wintering grounds year after year.

From National Geographic

Related Words

• delineate
• hem in