Etymology : Middle English, to overflow, from Middle French suronder, from Late Latin superundare, from Latin super- + unda wave; influenced in meaning by 5round; more at WATER
Pronunciation : s&-'raund
Function : transitive verb
Date : circa 1616
1. encompass, enclose; encircle; besiege. surround\sur*round"\ , v. t. [imp. & p. p. surrounded; p. pr. & vb. n. surrounding.] [of. suronder to overflow, ll. superundare; fr. l. super over + undare to rise in waves, overflow, fr. unda wave. the english sense is due to the influence of e. round. see:
super-, and undulate, and cf. abound.].
2. to inclose on all sides; to encompass; to environ.
3. to lie or be on all sides of; to encircle; as, a wall surrounds the city. but could instead, and ever-during dark surrounds me.
4. to pass around; to travel about; to circumnavigate; as, to surround the world. [obs.].
5. (mil.) to inclose, as a body of troops, between hostile forces, so as to cut off means of communication or retreat; to invest, as a city.
6. To inclose on all sides; to encompass; to environ.
7. To lie or be on all sides of; to encircle; as, a wall surrounds the city.
8. To pass around; to travel about; to circumnavigate; as, to surround the world.
9. To inclose, as a body of troops, between hostile forces, so as to cut off means of communication or retreat; to invest, as a city.
10. A method of hunting some animals, as the buffalo, by surrounding a herd, and driving them over a precipice, into a ravine, etc. extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle; "The forest surrounds my property" be around; "Developments surround the town"; "The river encircles the village".
11. 1. If a person or thing is surrounded by something, that thing is situated all around them. The small churchyard was surrounded by a rusted wrought-iron fence The shell surrounding the egg has many important functions. the snipers and artillerymen in the surrounding hills.
12. If you are surrounded by soldiers or police, they spread out so that they are in positions all the way around you. When the car stopped in the town square it was surrounded by soldiers and militiamen He tried to run away but gave up when he found himself surrounded = encircle.
13. The circumstances, feelings, or ideas which surround something are those that are closely associated with it. The decision had been agreed in principle before today's meeting, but some controversy surrounded it.
14. If you surround yourself with certain people or things, you make sure that you have a lot of them near you all the time. He had made it his business to surround himself with a hand-picked group of bright young officers They love being surrounded by familiar possessions. an area around the edge of something, especially one that is decorated or made of a different material.