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definitions

engulf

[ en-guhlf ]
/ ɛnˈgʌlf /
||

verb (used with object)

to swallow up in or as in a gulf; submerge: The overflowing river has engulfed many small towns along its banks.
to plunge or immerse, as into a gulf: He engulfed himself in his studies.

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RELATED WORDS

plunge, inundate, consume, flood, overwhelm, envelop, swamp, submerge, encompass, bury, overrun, immerse, deluge, imbibe, engross, drown, overflow, whelm

Nearby words

  1. engross,
  2. engrossed,
  3. engrossed bill,
  4. engrossing,
  5. engrossment,
  6. enhalo,
  7. enhance,
  8. enhanced oil recovery,
  9. enhanced radiation weapon,
  10. enhancement
Also ingulf.

Origin of engulf

First recorded in 1545–55; en-1 + gulf
SYNONYMS FOR engulf
1 envelop, bury, inundate, deluge, swamp.
Related formsen·gulf·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for engulfing

British Dictionary definitions for engulfing

engulf

ingulf

/ (ɪnˈɡʌlf) /

verb (tr)

to immerse, plunge, bury, or swallow up
(often passive) to overwhelmengulfed by debts
Derived Formsengulfment, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for engulfing

engulf

v.

1550s, from en- (1) "make, put in" + gulf. Related: Engulfed; engulfing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper