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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
"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

Other Word Forms

  • engulfment noun

Etymology

Origin of engulf

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.