engulfed; engulfing; engulfs
1
: to flow over and enclose : overwhelm
the mounting seas threatened to engulf the island
2
: to take in (food) by or as if by flowing over and enclosing
Synonyms
Examples of engulf in a Sentence
The valley was engulfed in a thick fog.
high waves from the hurricane engulfed large areas of the coastal community
Recent Examples on the Web
Videos on social media showed harrowing footage of several people and bodies engulfed with flames.
—
Barak Ravid, Axios, 14 Oct. 2024
The ferocious storm could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene’s devastation into projectiles.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024
The ferocious storm could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene's devastation into projectiles.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Oct. 2024
New York City's deputy mayor for public safety, Phil Banks III, resigned Monday in the latest fallout from the corruption scandal engulfing the administration of Mayor Eric Adams.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for engulf 
Barak Ravid, Axios, 14 Oct. 2024
The ferocious storm could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene’s devastation into projectiles.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2024
The ferocious storm could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene's devastation into projectiles.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 9 Oct. 2024
New York City's deputy mayor for public safety, Phil Banks III, resigned Monday in the latest fallout from the corruption scandal engulfing the administration of Mayor Eric Adams.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for engulf
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'engulf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near engulf
Cite this Entry
“Engulf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engulf. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share