From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishencircleen‧cir‧cle /ɪnˈsɜːkəl $ -ɜːr-/ verb [transitive] AROUND/ROUNDto surround someone or something completely The island was encircled by a dusty road. —encirclement noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
encircle• In some instances, delegates were driven outside where they were encircled and shot by the police and an aroused white citizenry.• Because these constructs are highly correlated they may also be encircled as a way of indicating this clustering.• His pate was bald, encircled by a monk-like fringe of hair.• Even the doorbell was wrong, a black button encircled by a tarnished yellow metal.• The city is nearly encircled by rebel troops.• The photo showed the captive sitting down, encircled by several armed men.• He said that up to 1,000 guerrillas were trying to rout or encircle government posts to force defenders to flee.• Troops encircled the city and began firing rockets at the government buildings.• The men encircled the hapless animals, beating and clubbing them, forcing them forward up the ramp. 