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hemming

VERB

enclose, restrict

Synonyms

WEAK

begird beset border bound cage circle circumscribe close in confine corral define edge encircle encompass envelop environ fence fringe girdle hedge in immure margin pen rim ring round shut shut in skirt surround verge

Antonyms

WEAK

let go release

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Enormous ring hunts depended on hemming in the prey and driving it into an ever-tightening circle, ensuring abundant kills for the king and a memorable spectacle for onlookers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

He has also mocked allies uneasy about the widening conflict, referring to those who "wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force."

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

Outside her window, farmland rolls into rocky coastline, hemming a glasslike bay striped with turquoise and populated by showboating dolphins.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2025

The goal was to just put a period on that phase of their life and just say, “Enough of the hemming and hawing. We’re walking forward either way.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2024

The bone ships surged closer, hemming us in, and I looked around wildly for some way to escape.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia