verb
Meaning 1
To draw a line around; to encircle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
circumscribe
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /ˈsɜː.kəm.skɹaɪb/
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US: /ˈsɝ.kəm.skɹaɪb/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -aɪb
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CMU ARPABET: S ER2 K AH0 M S K R AY1 B Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To limit narrowly; to restrict.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To draw the smallest circle or higher-dimensional sphere that has (a polyhedron, polygon, etc.) in its interior.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
restrict or confine,
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- I limit you to two visits to the pub a day
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: limit, confine
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: decrease, lessen, minify
Narrower terms: hold down, number, keep down, cap, restrict, curtail, curb, cut back, demarcate, delimit, delimitate, content, ration
verb
Meaning 5
draw a line around
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- He drew a circle around the points
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: trace, draw, line, describe, delineate
verb
Meaning 6
to draw a geometric figure around another figure so that the two are in contact but do not intersect
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: trace, draw, line, describe, delineate
History
Etymology
From Latin circumscrībō, from circum (“around”) + scrībō (“write”). By surface analysis, circum- + scribe.
Across languages
Translations
61 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: очертавам (očertavam) — to draw a line around; encircle
- Bulgarian: окръжавам (okrǎžavam) — to draw a line around; encircle
- Catalan: circumscriure — to draw a line around; encircle
- Czech: obmalovat — to draw a line around; encircle
- Czech: obkroužit — to draw a line around; encircle
- Danish: omskrive — to draw a line around; encircle
- Dutch: omcirkelen — to draw a line around; encircle
- Estonian: ümbritsema — to draw a line around; encircle
- Finnish: ympyröidä — to draw a line around; encircle
- French: circonscrire — to draw a line around; encircle
- German: einkreisen — to draw a line around; encircle
- Hebrew: תחם (takhám) — to draw a line around; encircle
- Ido: cirkumskribar — to draw a line around; encircle
- Norwegian Nynorsk: omskrive — to draw a line around; encircle
- Polish: obwodzić — to draw a line around; encircle
- Polish: obwieść — to draw a line around; encircle
- Polish: okrążać — to draw a line around; encircle
- Polish: okrążyć — to draw a line around; encircle
- Portuguese: circunscrever — to draw a line around; encircle
- Portuguese: circular — to draw a line around; encircle
- Romanian: circumscrie — to draw a line around; encircle
- Russian: опи́сывать (opísyvatʹ) — to draw a line around; encircle
- Russian: описа́ть (opisátʹ) — to draw a line around; encircle
- Spanish: circunscribir — to draw a line around; encircle
- Swedish: omskriva — to draw a line around; encircle
- Bulgarian: ограничавам (ograničavam) — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Catalan: circumscriure — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Czech: ohraničit — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Czech: omezit — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Dutch: beperken — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Dutch: limiteren — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Estonian: kitsendama — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Finnish: rajoittaa — to limit narrowly; restrict
- French: circonscrire — to limit narrowly; restrict
- German: eingrenzen — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Hebrew: הגביל (higbíl) — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Polish: ograniczać — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Polish: ograniczyć — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Portuguese: circunscrever — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Portuguese: restringir — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Portuguese: delimitar — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Russian: ограни́чивать (ograníčivatʹ) — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Russian: ограни́чить (ograníčitʹ) — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Spanish: circunscribir — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Swedish: begränsa — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Swedish: kringskära — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Swedish: kringgärda — to limit narrowly; restrict
- Bulgarian: описвам (opisvam) — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Catalan: circumscriure — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Czech: opsat — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Estonian: piiritlema — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Finnish: piirtää ympäri — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Finnish: piirtää ympyrä monikulmion kärkien kautta — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- French: circonscrire — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Polish: opisywać — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Polish: opisać — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Portuguese: circunscrever — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Russian: оче́рчивать (očérčivatʹ) — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Russian: очерти́ть (očertítʹ) — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Russian: опи́сывать (opísyvatʹ) — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- Russian: описа́ть (opisátʹ) — to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball