circumscribe
1 of 1verb/ˈsɝkəmskraɪb/
Forms:circumscribes,circumscribing,circumscribed,circumscribed
1
to limit the power, freedom, or activity of something to a set of boundaries
transitive- New regulations will circumscribe the use of personal data by tech companies.
- They are currently circumscribing the powers of the regulatory agency to prevent abuse.
- Over time, tradition and social norms served to circumscribe women's roles within the domestic sphere.
- The court's decision circumscribed the company's ability to expand its operations.
Synonyms:
2
to draw a line around something
transitive- In their study, participants were told to circumscribe objects on paper without looking at what they were drawing.
- Students were asked to circumscribe several shapes on their paper without lifting their pencils.
- Police initially circumscribed the crime scene with yellow tape to cordon off the area.
- She circumscribed the area on the map to highlight the restricted zone.
- The coach circumscribed a section of the field for practice drills.
3
to draw a shape around another so that it touches the inner shape at specific points without overlapping or cutting through it
transitive- The artist circumscribed a circle around the star to create a new design.
- He circumscribed a square around the circle for the geometric diagram.
- The artist circumscribed a perfect ellipse around the figure, maintaining the correct proportions.
- The engineer circumscribed the triangle with a larger circle, touching all three corners.
- The computer model circumscribed the complex shape with a simplified polygon.