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

It took firefighters more than an hour to track down the source of the blaze as thick smoke engulfed the 149,000-square-foot campus.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The crash involved four semi-trucks and four passenger cars, one of which was engulfed in flames.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The strike -- which Hegseth announced in a post on X that featured a video of a boat being engulfed in flames -- brings the total number to at least eight, leaving at least 34 people dead.

Read more on Barron's

Villagers rushed to collect fuel from the overturned tanker which suddenly exploded, setting off a massive fire that engulfed them.

Read more on BBC

Their home had been hit by a bomb and engulfed in flames.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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