encompass

encompass — verb

1. to cover or contain a wide variety of different subjects, items, or activities a

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to cover or contain a wide variety of different subjects, items, or activities as part of a larger whole

Example

The festival program encompasses film screenings, live music, and art exhibitions.

encompass + list of diverse items (film, music, art)

Saira's job responsibilities encompass everything from budget planning to staff training.

pattern: encompass everything from X to Y

Common collocations
  • encompass a wide range
  • encompass various aspects
  • encompass everything from…to…
  • broadly encompass
  • encompass diverse fields
Synonyms
  • include

    more general and less formal; works in everyday speech

  • cover

    slightly less formal; common in rules, policies, and insurance contexts

  • comprise

    more formal; focuses on the parts that make up a whole

  • embrace

    suggests willingly or enthusiastically including something

Antonyms
  • exclude

    to leave out or not include

  • omit

    to leave out, often deliberately or by accident

Grammar Patterns

encompass + noun phrase (often a list or range)

Usage Note

Most common in formal, academic, or professional contexts. The subject is typically a broad category (term, program, field, project) followed by a list or range of items it covers. Frequently used with adverbs such as 'broadly' or 'widely'.

Common Mistakes

My job encompasses filing papers.
My job encompasses a wide range of administrative tasks.
'Encompass' implies breadth; use it for a range of items, not a single activity.

2. to form a complete circle around something, covering or hiding it from view

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to form a complete circle around something, covering or hiding it from view

Example

A thick fog encompassed the village, making the houses barely visible.

passive sense: natural phenomenon encompasses a place

The old estate is encompassed by a tall stone wall built in the eighteenth century.

passive: be encompassed by [structure]

Common collocations
  • encompassed by fog
  • encompassed by walls
  • encompassed by silence
  • encompassed by darkness
  • completely encompassed
Synonyms
  • surround

    more common and less formal; the default word for physical encircling

  • envelop

    suggests covering completely, like wrapping something up

  • enclose

    focuses on being shut in or bounded by something

  • encircle

    emphasises forming a ring around something

Grammar Patterns

encompass + noun phrase

be encompassed by/with + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often used in the passive voice (be encompassed by/with). Can describe both physical surrounding (walls, fog, water) and abstract enveloping (silence, warmth, darkness). More common in literary or descriptive writing than in everyday conversation.

Word family

  • encompassing
    adjectiveC1
  • encompassment
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Include' is the most neutral and versatile word — it simply means something is part of a group or whole ('The price includes breakfast'). 'Cover' suggests the scope or range of something, often in rules or policies ('The warranty covers repairs'), and is slightly less formal. 'Comprise' is more formal and carries the sense of parts adding up to make a whole ('The committee comprises twelve members'); note that 'comprise' takes the whole as subject and the parts as object, not the reverse. 'Embrace' adds a positive, willing tone — it suggests actively taking something in ('The school embraces new teaching methods'). 'Encompass' (the headword) sits close to 'cover' in register but is best for describing breadth across diverse categories, like a program, field, or term that includes many different types of things. For example: 'The course encompasses literature and science' works well; use 'include' for a simple membership list ('The team includes two new players').

include ↗cover ↗comprise ↗embrace ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a wide range of
  • everything from…to…
  • a broad spectrum of

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Encompass' entered English in the 14th century from Old French 'encumpasser', which combined the prefix 'en-' (to put into) with 'compas' (circle, circumference). The original meaning was physical: to form a circle around something or enclose it with a boundary. By the 18th century, the word had developed a figurative sense — to include a broad range of things within a scope or category, much like drawing a larger circle around many items to group them together.