engulf

[en-guhlf]

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.

Also ingulf.

Origin of engulf

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

Related formsen·gulf·ment, noun

Synonyms for engulf

1. envelop, bury, inundate, deluge, swamp.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for engulfment

Historical Examples of engulfment

This cess-pool offered its engulfment to the city and the universe.
Les Misrables
Victor Hugo
The central portions of the dome have since been removed by engulfment, or denudation, or by both these causes.
Principles of Geology
Charles Lyell
The first effect is instantaneous, then the engulfment becomes more gradual.
A Tenderfoot Bride
Clarice E. Richards
Beyond, the opaqueness was massive; to penetrate thither seemed horrible, an entrance into it appeared like an engulfment.
Les Misrables
Victor Hugo
This engulfment is the sepulchre which assumes a tide, and which mounts from the depths of the earth towards a living man.
Les Misrables
Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for engulfment

engulf

ingulf

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 engulfment

engulf

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