circumscribe

UK: /ˈsɜː^rkəmskraɪb/

US: /ˈsɝkəmˌskraɪb/

US: (sûr′kəm skrīb′, sûr′kəm skrīb′)

Inflections of 'circumscribe' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

circumscribes

v 3rd person singular

circumscribing

v pres p

circumscribed

v past

circumscribed

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

cir•cum•scribe /ˈsɜrkəmˌskraɪb/   v. [~ + object] , -scribed, -scrib•ing. 

1. to draw a line around;
   encircle.
2. to keep or enclose (something) within bounds;
   restrict:
   His powers were carefully circumscribed.

See -scrib-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cir•cum•scribe  (sûr′kəm skrīb′, sûr′kəm skrīb′), v.t., -scribed, -scrib•ing. 

1. to draw a line around;
   encircle:
   to circumscribe a city on a map.
2. to enclose within bounds;
   limit or confine, esp. narrowly:
   Her social activities are circumscribed by school regulations.
3. to mark off;
   define;
   delimit:
   to circumscribe the area of a science.
4. Mathematics [Geom.]
   • to draw (a figure) around another figure so as to touch as many points as possible.
   • (of a figure) to enclose (another figure) in this manner.

• Latin circumscrībere, equivalent. to circum- circum- + scrībere to write
• Middle English 1350–1400

cir′cum•scrib′a•ble, adj. 
cir′cum•scrib′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 2. restrict, restrain, check, hamper, hinder.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

circumscribe / 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 inscribe4
4. to draw a line round

Etymology: 15th Century: from Latin circumscrībere, from circum- + scrībere to write

ˌcircumˈscribable adjective

ˌcircumˈscriber noun