as in flooding
to cover with a flood
high waves from the hurricane engulfed large areas of the coastal community
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Recent Examples of engulfing
Rescuers search on the site where an avalanche broke loose in Val Ridanna, in Alto Adige, northern Italy, engulfing a group of 10 skiers Saturday, March 21, 2026.
—
CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
An Associated Press journalist saw a massive fire that appeared to be engulfing a structure in the compound.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Overnight visuals from local media showed flames engulfing a single-storey building, while thick smoke billowed from another section of the same complex.
—CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
Authorities said the vehicle ignited inside the building, temporarily engulfing parts of the synagogue in flames.
—Daniel Hunt
march 12, Sacbee.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Images from the scene on Swiss media showed flames engulfing the vehicle.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
On Sunday night, firefighters battled with the flames engulfing Forsyth House – a Victorian building next to Glasgow Central station, home to dozens of small businesses.
—Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 11 Mar. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei faces a second and even more existential obstacle, which is the American and Israeli war that is now engulfing the region.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026
Herman Halushchenko's arrest, the source said, followed requests from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and marked an uptick in an anti-corruption probe engulfing the political spectrum.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026
CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
An Associated Press journalist saw a massive fire that appeared to be engulfing a structure in the compound.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Overnight visuals from local media showed flames engulfing a single-storey building, while thick smoke billowed from another section of the same complex.
—CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
Authorities said the vehicle ignited inside the building, temporarily engulfing parts of the synagogue in flames.
—Daniel Hunt
march 12, Sacbee.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Images from the scene on Swiss media showed flames engulfing the vehicle.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
On Sunday night, firefighters battled with the flames engulfing Forsyth House – a Victorian building next to Glasgow Central station, home to dozens of small businesses.
—Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 11 Mar. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei faces a second and even more existential obstacle, which is the American and Israeli war that is now engulfing the region.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2026
Herman Halushchenko's arrest, the source said, followed requests from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and marked an uptick in an anti-corruption probe engulfing the political spectrum.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for engulfing
Verb
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The American Jewish community responded to the Yom Kippur War, which killed nearly three thousand Israeli soldiers, by flooding Israel with donations; doctors and students volunteered to join the war effort.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The roots hold fast to mud and soil, reducing erosion and absorbing the power of storm surge to protect inland areas from flooding.—
Ryan Kellman,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Robby’s self-contempt and his fears of what the PTMC could become without him are overwhelming his character — and the show too.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
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Any vines that are overwhelming a tree in this fashion need to be removed or drastically pruned.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Each year in the United States, drowning causes roughly 4,500 deaths, while infections from brain-eating amoebas typically number only two or three.—
Alejandro Hortal-Sánchez,
The Conversation,
24 Mar. 2026
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Children with autism are at heightened risk of drowning for the issues Na’Sean’s parents described, experts say.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Their system consisted of submerging pre-term lambs in artificial amniotic fluid, where a pumpless oxygenator, supplied by a sweep gas, mimicked placental perfusion.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
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Place the showerhead in the bag, submerging it in the bubbling mixture, and securing the bag with a rubber band around the neck of the showerhead.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Engulfing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/engulfing. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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