Definitions for encirclement
en·cir·clement

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. blockade, encirclementnoun

   a war measure that isolates some area of importance to the enemy

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. encirclementnoun

   The act of encircling or the state of being encircled

2. encirclementnoun

   The isolation of a target by the formation of a blockade around it

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Encirclement

   Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The situation is highly dangerous for the encircled force. At the strategic level, it cannot receive supplies or reinforcements, and on the tactical level, the units in the force can be subject to an attack from several sides. Lastly, since the force cannot retreat, unless it is relieved or can break out, it must fight to the death or surrender. A special kind of encirclement is the siege. In that case, the encircled forces are enveloped in a fortified position in which long-lasting supplies and strong defences are in place, allowing them to withstand attacks. Sieges have taken place in almost all eras of warfare.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. encirclement

   Encirclement is a military strategy, often used in warfare, which involves surrounding an enemy force completely in order to cut off its communications, supplies, and escape routes, making its defeat more likely. This tactic aims to isolate the enemy from exterior help or reinforcements. In general context, it can also refer to the condition of being surrounded by something, such as an environment, situation, or circumstances.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Encirclement

   Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. This situation is highly dangerous for the encircled force: at the strategic level, because it cannot receive supplies or reinforcements, and on the tactical level, because the units in the force can be subject to an attack from several sides. Lastly, since the force cannot retreat, unless it is relieved or can break out, it must either fight to the death or surrender. Encirclement has been used throughout the centuries by military leaders, including generals such as Alexander the Great, Khalid bin Waleed, Hannibal, Sun Tzu, Shaka Zulu, Wallenstein, Napoleon, Moltke, Heinz Guderian, von Rundstedt, von Manstein, Zhukov, and Patton. Sun Tzu suggests that an army should not be completely encircled, but should be given some room for escape, in order to prevent that 'encircled' army's men lifting their morale and fighting till the death –- a better situation would be them considering the possibility of a retreat. Examples of this might be the battles of Dunkirk, in 1940, and the Falaise Gap in 1944. The main form of encircling, the "double pincer," is executed by attacks on the flanks of a battle, where the mobile forces of the era, such as light infantry, cavalry, tanks, or APCs attempt to force a breakthrough to utilize their speed to join behind the back of the enemy force, and complete the "ring", while the main enemy force is stalled by probing attacks. The encirclement of the German Sixth Army in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942 is a typical example of this.

Matched Categories

1. • Military
   • Military Action

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce encirclement?

1. Alex

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How to say encirclement in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of encirclement in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of encirclement in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of encirclement in a Sentence

1. Genevieve Casagrande:

   They are setting conditions for the full encirclement of the city.

2. Stephen Townsend:

   We don’t have a complete encirclement of Mosul.

3. Sam Cranny-Evans:

   The Southern Military District -- in Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Berdyansk, Melitopol -- these are the best troops in the Russian army. And they always work. They're designed to fight NATO, so the forces that were committed to the Kyiv encirclement suggests that it was a goal that either Russia thought would be easily achieved, or they overestimated the capabilities of those forces. So that leads, in part, to the conclusion that an encirclement of the Ukrainian troops in the JFO is part of the goal that Russia is looking to achieve. And the movements of Russian forces do seem to suggest that that is the case.

4. Josef Stalin:

   We shall not make this public, the capitalist encirclement continues.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=encirclement
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Encirclement
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encirclement
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=encirclement
6. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=encirclement