Definition of enclose

< enclitic

enclosure >

en·close    (n-klz) KEY  also in·close  (n-) KEY 

TRANSITIVE VERB:
en·closed, en·clos·ing, en·clos·es

1. To surround on all sides; close in.
2. To fence in so as to prevent common use: enclosed the pasture.
3. To contain, especially so as to envelop or shelter: "Every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret" (Charles Dickens).
4. To insert into the same envelope or package: enclose a check with the order.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English enclosen, from Old French enclos, past participle of enclore, from Latin incldere, to enclose ; see include

SYNONYMS:
enclose, cage, coop, fence, hem¹, pen², wall

These verbs mean to surround and confine within a limited area: cattle enclosed in feedlots; was caged in the office all afternoon; was cooped up in a studio apartment; a garden fenced in by shrubbery; a battalion hemmed in by enemy troops; ships penned up in the harbor; prisoners who were walled in.