SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS

circumscribe

verb

To place limits or restrictions on something.

Compare the alternatives Definition and examples

Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.

Place limits on

Closest synonyms

limit restrict confine bound constrain delimit

Related words and expressions

These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.

Usage distinction

Delimit sets an extent; curtail actively reduces something already available.

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CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

See circumscribe in use

The small budget will circumscribe the scale of the exhibit.

Dictionary practice example.

The chair decided to circumscribe the next meeting's scope: members would settle the location and staffing, while decorative details could wait.

From A Shorter Route to a Decision.

Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.

Synonym reference scope and sources

The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.

WordNet 3.0: selected lexical senses

How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license

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