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

The fire quickly spread to engulf seven high-rise towers and took more than 24 hours to get under control.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The last Jews left Gaza City in 1929 during the riots that engulfed British-controlled Mandatory Palestine that year, ending a history shaped by the tragic events that plagued this repeatedly destroyed city.

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By the late 1870s the two sisters were engulfed in financial and legal problems.

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What if his legendary October demons had engulfed him one last time?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The blaze rapidly engulfed several towers at the housing estate, which includes eight buildings of 31 floors each and that have a combined total of 1,984 units.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

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