GIRDLING Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

girdling

verb

present participle of girdle

as in wrapping

to encircle or bind with or as if with a belt trees girdled the campus, essentially hiding it from view wire girdling the bundle of firewood

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in circling

to travel completely around an asteroid belt that girdles the inner planets of the solar system

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in surrounding

to form a circle around the rings that famously girdle the planet Saturn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of girdling Also, the rootball should be inspected for circling or girdling roots. — Larry Figart, Florida Times-Union, 14 Jan. 2026 Removing this layer restricts the tree from moving water up from the roots or nutrients back down, a process known as girdling. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2025 The new levee begins at the city of San Mateo’s border and runs below the San Mateo Bridge before girdling the city’s borders. — John King, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Nov. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for girdling

Verb

If additional hold is needed, Marjan recommends spraying Paul Mitchell Firm Hold Super Clean Extra Hairspray on the roots and brushing back before wrapping a second elastic around everything.

— Marci Robin, Allure, 21 Aug. 2026
The Ferrari driver was seen shirtless while wearing black swim trunks in the first photo, sweetly wrapping his arms around the Kardashians star embracing him from the front.

— Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrapping

Verb

Due to a combination of circling real estate developers and personal financial crises, the Pogues’ homes are under threat.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
The film premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section to rave reviews and a lengthy standing ovation before buyers quickly started circling and A24 emerged with the worldwide rights.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of circling

Verb

Additional details surrounding the circumstances of the crash or identity of the person who died was not provided.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2026
The Mob Museum in Las Vegas has been fielding questions and debunking misinformation surrounding the case for years, said Geoff Schumacher, the museum’s vice president of research, collections and programs.

— Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of surrounding

Verb

These memorable rail journeys - one in Canada, two in the United States - offer up incredible panroamas, city stops, mountains and forests, traversing long distances across the continent.

— Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Paul Anthony Kelly looks comfortable traversing both fantasies.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of traversing

Verb

The zoning resolution for the Manhattanville extension explicitly forbids encircling any of the outdoor spaces with gates or fences.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 19 Aug. 2026
Finding a planet-forming disk of gas and dust encircling all three stars in a system is very rare, and finding a disk consisting of three rings with misaligned orbits is even stranger.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of encircling

Verb

Hera is en route to study the aftermath of NASA’s DART mission that intentionally crashed a spacecraft into a small moon orbiting a larger asteroid.

— Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Some of Voyager 2’s biggest surprises came from the moons orbiting those planets.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of orbiting

Browse Nearby Words

girdles

girdling

girds

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“Girdling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girdling. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of girdling

verb

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