engulf

Also in·gulf

[en-guhlf]

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.

engulf

/ ɪnˈɡʌlf /

verb

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

2. (often passive) to overwhelm

   engulfed by debts

Other Word Forms

• engulfment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of engulf¹

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

Example Sentences

One person was unaccounted for while more than 170 people were evacuated as fire engulfed a residential area in Oita in southern Japan, the local government said Wednesday.

Read more on Barron's

In the fire’s aftermath, The Times reported that residents of west Altadena did not get electronic evacuation orders until hours after the fire had started and engulfed the area.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This capped a powerful run that saw the stock climb 300 points following the bullish engulfing candle on April 9 for a 17% gain in a single day.

Read more on Barron's

Multiple vehicles were "engulfed in flames and reduced to charred husks, with debris scattered across the site", according to a police statement.

Read more on BBC

“This is a vision of being completely in bliss,” she concludes, “fully engulfed in the American dream I have created for myself.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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