Synonyms

engulf

American

[en-guhlf] / ɛnˈgʌlf /

Also ingulf

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.

Synonyms:

swamp, deluge, inundate, bury, envelop
to plunge or immerse, as into a gulf.

He engulfed himself in his studies.

engulf British

/ ɪnˈɡʌlf /

verb

to immerse, plunge, bury, or swallow up
(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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That doji was followed by a bearish engulfing candle, but the setup remains constructive.

From Barron's

That prior low produced a bullish counterattack candle, followed just two sessions later by a positive engulfing candle.

From Barron's

Tuesday’s session produced a bullish engulfing candle that reversed higher precisely at the very round $400 level, an example of round number theory coming into play.

From Barron's

A few blocks away, rescuers recovered the body of a man who, before dying, managed to pull his wife from their house which was engulfed by the landslide, firefighters told AFP.

From Barron's

Elizabeth Shanahan, a California expat who moved from Newport Beach to Puerto Vallarta two decades ago, said that the television news made it seem as though buildings were being engulfed across the city.

From Los Angeles Times

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