engulf

American  

[en-guhlf] / ɛnˈgʌlf /

Also ingulf

verb (used with object)

1. 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

2. to plunge or immerse, as into a gulf.

   He engulfed himself in his studies.

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engulf British  

/ ɪnˈɡʌlf /

verb

1. to immerse, plunge, bury, or swallow up

2. (often passive) to overwhelm

   engulfed by debts

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Other Word Forms

• engulfment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of engulf

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

Explanation

Engulf is a verb that means being completely surrounded, soaked, or covered. Fire, snow, smoke, flood waters, or even violence are a few things that could engulf you. Suppose an amusement park had a ride called Into the Whirlpool. Sounds like one for thrill-seekers who aren't afraid of water. Riders should expect to get lost inside, fully absorbed by the experience. The word engulf comes from the Old French word golfe, meaning "whirlpool," and the prefix en-, meaning "in or into." Riders of Into the Whirlpool should expect to feel engulfed — surrounded by water and completely covered.

Example Sentences

In one six-year period, he brought 80 firms into what became jokingly known as "Engulf and Devour."

From Time Magazine Archive

Engulf, en-gulf′, Ingulf, in-, v.t. to swallow up wholly, as in a gulf: to cast into a gulf: to overwhelm.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

And I have mused:—E'en thus may Freedom fall, And darkness shroud it like a wintry pall, And night o'erwhelm it, and the shades thereof Engulf the glories born of perfect love.

From Love Letters of a Violinist and Other Poems by Mackay, Eric

And in destruction's river Engulf and swallow those.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah

Related Words

• bury
• consume
• encompass
• envelop
• flood
• immerse
• inundate
• overrun
• overwhelm
• plunge
• submerge
• swamp