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engulf

[ en-guhlf ]

/ ɛnˈgʌlf /

verb (used with object)

to swallow up in or as in a gulf; submerge: The overflowing river has engulfed many small towns along its banks.

to plunge or immerse, as into a gulf: He engulfed himself in his studies.

Also ingulf.

Origin of engulf

First recorded in 1545–55; en-¹ + gulf

SYNONYMS FOR engulf

1 envelop, bury, inundate, deluge, swamp.

OTHER WORDS FROM engulf

en·gulf·ment, noun

Words nearby engulf

engraving, engross, engrossed bill, engrossing, engrossment, engulf, enhalo, enhance, enhanced oil recovery, enhanced radiation weapon, enhancer

Example sentences from the Web for engulfing

This sad drama has been compounded by an engulfing fog of speculation, frequently reaching a tone of hysteria.

The Baseless Rush to Blame the Pilots of Flight 370 |Clive Irving |March 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A sprint from the alley to the east into the greenbelt and the engulfing woods.

The Man Oswald First Tried to Kill Before JFK |Bill Minutaglio, Steven L. Davis |October 3, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Kremlin-approved media coverage of Moscow's subway bombings is engulfing the city in paranoia.

Russia's Terror Panic Attack |Michael Idov |April 3, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
The culture of tabs and paps was as nothing compared to the engulfing negative zone it has become.

Inside Studio 54's Wildest Nights |Anthony Haden-Guest |December 13, 2009 |DAILY BEAST

A famous painting represents him, with his little son and the castaway crew, huddling among the engulfing icebergs.

The "Adventurers of England" on Hudson Bay |Agnes C. (Agnes Christina) Laut
And they met, like an engulfing wave, the bounding figures of the men in copper.

Astounding Stories of Super-Science, June, 1930 |Various
The fountains of the great deep boil forth; fire-fountains, enveloping, engulfing.

The French Revolution |Thomas Carlyle
The two men gained the summit of the rock; the wide, waste, engulfing ocean was beneath.

The World's Greatest Books, Vol VI. |Various
The next moment the moss had swallowed the man, and the thick, peaty water hardly stirred over his engulfing.

Prisoners of Conscience |Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

British Dictionary definitions for engulfing

engulf

ingulf

/ (ɪnˈɡʌlf) /

verb (tr)

to immerse, plunge, bury, or swallow up

(often passive) to overwhelm engulfed by debts

Derived forms of engulf

engulfment, noun