engulf

verb

en·gulf | \ in-ˈgəlf

, en-\

engulfed; engulfing; engulfs

Definition of engulf

transitive verb

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

Other Words from engulf Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about engulf

Keep scrolling for more

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

Solar proton events occur when a shift in the Sun’s magnetic field releases sudden blasts of energetic solar particles that engulf Earth’s magnetosphere. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "Evidence of a Monstrous, Ancient Solar Storm Found Hidden in Greenland's Ice," 14 Mar. 2019 Few of the buildings in Palu’s suburbs of Petobo, Biromaru and Bala Roa could withstand the sideways mudslide that engulfed those communities in expanses of oozing quicksand. — Elaine Kurtenbach, The Seattle Times, "Disaster undoes hard-won progress for Indonesian port city," 2 Oct. 2018 Cora’s mother and brother come from America but are overshadowed by the Prince of Wales scandal that engulfs the family. — Tom Fitzgerald And Lorenzo Marquez, Town & Country, "The 10 Best Downton Abbey Episodes," 12 Sep. 2018 The fire is Chicago’s deadliest since at least 2000, and possibly since 1993, when 19 people died in a blaze that engulfed a single room occupancy residential hotel. — Fox News, "Cigarettes and fireworks may have caused Chicago apartment that killed 9, authorities say," 28 Aug. 2018 Yet the situation in Italy today is very different from the crises that engulfed the eurozone between 2010 and 2015. — Simon Nixon, WSJ, "Italy Still Has Time to Avert a Disaster," 30 May 2018 Three years after American Pharoah won at Pimlico in a driving rain storm, Mike Smith rode Justify through thick fog that engulfed the racetrack. — kansascity, "Justify wins Preakness, has two legs of Triple Crown | The Kansas City Star," 19 May 2018 Firefighters responded to a blaze early Wednesday morning that engulfed an unoccupied house at the corner of Rio Grande Avenue and 24th Street. — Stephen Ruiz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Fire damages unoccupied home in Orange County," 18 Apr. 2018 Fire trucks responded to the 5200 block of Lescot Lane around 6 a.m. and discovered the home engulfed in flames and the roof collapsed, said spokeswoman Ashley Papagni. — Lisa Maria Garza, OrlandoSentinel.com, "9-year-old girl dies in Orlando house fire, grandmother severely burned, officials say," 8 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'engulf.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.