Synonyms

engulf

American

[en-guhlf] / ɛnˈgʌlf /

Also ingulf

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.

Synonyms:

swamp, deluge, inundate, bury, envelop
to plunge or immerse, as into a gulf.

He engulfed himself in his studies.

engulf British

/ ɪnˈɡʌlf /

verb

to immerse, plunge, bury, or swallow up
(often passive) to overwhelm

engulfed by debts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

engulfment noun

Etymology

Origin of engulf

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

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.

These residents insist they are neutral and refuse to leave, even as the fighting threatens to engulf their towns and villages.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

But he also doesn’t want the war to engulf more energy infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Unlike some immune cells, macrophages can directly engulf cancer cells.

From Science Daily • Jan. 28, 2026

Winter Storm Fern is forecast to engulf an area well over half the length of the continental United States, stretching from Texas and the Great Plains region to the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

Scalding ash storms across to engulf me again.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023