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engulf

[ en-guhlf ]
/ ɛnˈgʌlf /
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See synonyms for: engulf / engulfed on Thesaurus.com

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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Also in·gulf [in-guhlf] /ɪnˈgʌlf/ .

Origin of engulf

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

OTHER WORDS FROM engulf

en·gulf·ment, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use engulf in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for engulf

engulf

ingulf

/ (ɪnˈɡʌlf) /

verb (tr)
to immerse, plunge, bury, or swallow up
(often passive) to overwhelmengulfed by debts

Derived forms of engulf

engulfment, 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
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