enclosed

American  

[en-klohzd] / ɛnˈkloʊzd /

adjective

1. inserted in the same envelope or package.

   Complete the enclosed contribution form and mail with your check or credit card information to the address below.

2. surrounded or shut in on all sides.

   The dogs like to hang out in the enclosed section outside the kennels.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• self-enclosed adjective
• unenclosed adjective

Etymology

Origin of enclosed

enclose ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Things that are enclosed are surrounded on all sides, closed or penned in. If your grandfather's condo development is enclosed by a high fence, you might need to check in with a guard before you can visit him. Your pet guinea pig is enclosed by her cage, and when you're at school, you are enclosed by the walls of the building. Homes, car lots, gardens, and school yards are all commonly enclosed by fences. If you put a check inside your cousin's birthday card, the money is also enclosed. Enclosed comes from the verb enclose, which is rooted in the Old French enclore, "surround, confine, or contain."

Example Sentences

It helps nurture a slower, older way of life, with pocket flocks and modest dairy herds enclosed by thick hedgerows foaming with cow parsley and twittering songbirds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

A formerly shady brook, enclosed by trees, has been opened out to form a wetland area.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

The enclosed setup ensured bees ate only the experimental feed.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

The historic Bird Cage Theatre, a place for vaudeville-style, fourth-wall-breaking shows, just reopened with a properly enclosed roof and air conditioning.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Just inside, the brook made a little fall into a pool, and the sound, enclosed among the trees, echoed as though in a cave.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• confined