ENGULFS Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

engulfs

verb

present tense third-person singular of engulf

as in overwhelms

to cover with a flood high waves from the hurricane engulfed large areas of the coastal community

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for engulfs

Verb

The controversy highlights a growing concern in academia about whether some researchers could rely too heavily on AI to churn out a wave of papers that overwhelms journals charged with vetting the work.

— TODD WALLACK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
Eventually, allegory overwhelms dramaturgy, with a group of soccer hooligans—emblems of the volatility of men under threat—playing a pivotal role in Leo’s end.

— Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of overwhelms

Verb

Featuring exclusive WrinkleBoost Tech, the Wrinkle Retreat Pro Light Therapy Mask simultaneously floods the skin with four high-power wavelengths to reach deeper than ever before.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026
The rabbit does not control the rain that floods its burrow or the drought that kills its food.

— Chris Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of floods

Verb

However, after Mitt drowns himself in the midst of a terminal illness, Jay goes diving in search of his father’s remains.

— Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
As the male assassin finds her and nearly drowns her in a lake, River catches up to the scene in time to save her, and the episode shifts to accommodate the romantic chemistry that’s been simmering between them since the series premiere.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of drowns

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

engulfments

engulfs

enhalo

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Engulfs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/engulfs. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of engulfs

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

lissome

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes