Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense circumscribes, present participle circumscribing, past tense, past participle circumscribed
verb
If someone's power or freedom is circumscribed, it is limited or restricted.
[formal]
The army evidently fears that, under him, its activities would be severely circumscribed. [beVERB-ed]
There are laws circumscribing the right of individual citizens to cause bodily harmto others. [VERB noun]
More Synonyms of circumscribe
circumscribe in British English
(ˌsɜːkəmˈskraɪb, ˈsɜːkəmˌskraɪb)
verb(transitive)
1.
to restrict within limits
2.
to mark or set the bounds of
3.
to draw a geometric construction around (another construction) so that the two are in contact but do not intersect
Compare inscribe (sense 4)
4.
to draw a line round
Derived forms
circumscribable (ˌcircumˈscribable)
adjective
circumscriber (ˌcircumˈscriber)
noun
Word origin
C15: from Latin circumscrībere, from circum- + scrībere to write
circumscribe in American English
(ˈsɜrkəmˌskraɪb; ˌ sɜrkəmˈskraɪb)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈcircumˌscribed or ˈcircumˌscribing
1.
to trace a line around; encircle; encompass
2.
a.
to set or mark off the limits of; limit; confine
b.
to restrict the action of; restrain
3. Geometry
a.
to draw a plane figure around (another plane figure) either to intersect each vertex of the inner figure, as a circle around a square, or to have each side of the outer figure tangent to the inner figure, as a square around a circle
b.
to enclose a solid figure within (another solid figure) in a similar manner, as a cube within a sphere or a sphere within a cube
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈlimit
Derived forms
circumscribable (ˌcircumˈscribable)
adjective
circumscriber (ˈcircumˌscriber)
noun
Word origin
ME circumscriben < L circumscribere: see circum- & scribe
Synonyms of 'circumscribe'
restrict, limit, define, confine
surround, bound, enclose, encompass
More Synonyms of circumscribe
1 (verb)
Definition
to limit or restrict within certain boundaries
The monarch's powers are circumscribed by Parliament.
Synonyms
restrict
The fence would restrict public access.
limit
He limited payments on the country's foreign debt.
define
Armed forces were deployed to define military zones.
confine
She had largely confined her activities to the world of big business.
restrain
He grabbed my arm, partly to restrain me.
delineate
hem in
demarcate
The police demarcated the city into eighteen geographical divisions.
delimit
This is not meant to delimit what approaches social researchers can adopt.
straiten
2 (verb)
Definition
to draw a geometric figure around (another figure) so that the two are in contact but do not intersect
Synonyms
surround
The church was surrounded by a rusted wrought-iron fence.
bound
the trees that bounded the car park
enclose
The land was enclosed by an eight-foot wire fence.
encompass
Egypt is encompassed by the Mediterranean, Sudan, the Red Sea and Libya.
encircle
A forty-foot-high concrete wall encircles the jail.
mark off
environ
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bound
Definition
to form a boundary of
the trees that bounded the car park
Synonyms
surround,
confine,
enclose,
terminate,
encircle,
circumscribe,
hem in,
demarcate,
delimit
in the sense of confine
Definition
to restrict the free movement of
She had largely confined her activities to the world of big business.
Synonyms
restrict,
limit
in the sense of define
Definition
to show clearly the outline of
Armed forces were deployed to define military zones.