engulf
Americanverb
-
to immerse, plunge, bury, or swallow up
-
(often passive) to overwhelm
engulfed by debts
Other Word Forms
- engulfment noun
Etymology
Origin of engulf
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.
Winter Storm Fern is forecast to engulf an area stretching from Texas and the Great Plains region to the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
Unlike some immune cells, macrophages can directly engulf and destroy cancer cells.
From Science Daily • Jan. 11, 2026
And explores the tragic events that engulf the couple and which inspire Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025
The fire quickly spread to engulf seven high-rise towers and took more than 24 hours to get under control.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
Fear seemed to stretch out a vast hand, like a dark cloud rising in the East and looming up to engulf him.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.