en⋅com⋅pass [en-kuhm-puhs] –verb (used with object) 1. to form a circle about; encircle; surround: He built a moat to encompass the castle. 2. to enclose; envelop: The folds of a great cloak encompassed her person. 3. to include comprehensively: a work that encompasses the entire range of the world's religious beliefs. 4. Obsolete. to outwit. Origin: 1545–55; en- 1 + compass