CIRCUMSCRIBE

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does circumscribe mean? 

• CIRCUMSCRIBE (verb)
  The verb CIRCUMSCRIBE has 3 senses:

1. draw a line around
2. restrict or confine,
3. to draw a geometric figure around another figure so that the two are in contact but do not intersect

  Familiarity information: CIRCUMSCRIBE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CIRCUMSCRIBE (verb)

Meaning:

Draw a line around

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

He drew a circle around the points

Hypernyms (to "circumscribe" is one way to...):

delineate; describe; draw; line; trace (make a mark or lines on a surface)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Meaning:

Restrict or confine,

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

confine; circumscribe; limit

Context example:

I limit you to two visits to the pub a day

Hypernyms (to "circumscribe" is one way to...):

decrease; lessen; minify (make smaller)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "circumscribe"):

hold down (restrain)

keep down; number (place a limit on the number of)

cap (restrict the number or amount of)

curb; curtail; cut back; restrict (place restrictions on)

delimit; delimitate; demarcate (set, mark, or draw the boundaries of something)

content (satisfy in a limited way)

ration (restrict the consumption of a relatively scarce commodity, as during war)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Meaning:

To draw a geometric figure around another figure so that the two are in contact but do not intersect

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "circumscribe" is one way to...):

delineate; describe; draw; line; trace (make a mark or lines on a surface)

Domain category:

geometry (the pure mathematics of points and lines and curves and surfaces)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something