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.

---

engulf British  

/ ɪnˈɡʌlf /

verb

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

2. (often passive) to overwhelm

   engulfed by debts

---

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

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

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

It will certainly engulf the wider region and have an impact on ordinary people around the globe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

"McCarthyism" became a catchphrase for the hunt for communist subversives, a frenzy that would engulf the United States for the rest of the 1950s.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

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