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engulf

[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.
  2. to plunge or immerse, as into a gulf: He engulfed himself in his studies.
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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.

  • 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)
  1. to immerse, plunge, bury, or swallow up
  2. (often passive) to overwhelmengulfed by debts
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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

v.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper