ENGULF Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

engulf

verb

in-ˈgəlf

Definition of engulf

as in to flood

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

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of engulf Firefighters responded to a massive blaze Thursday morning that engulfed a Queens home before spreading to neighboring houses. — Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 Those officials moved into these elevated positions in the months following the Herald/Times’ reporting on the scandal engulfing the embattled charity. — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 In Tibet, the roaring mudslide that struck Wednesday engulfed a multistory port building and swallowed a bus parking lot at the land border crossing of Gyirong Port. — Niranjan Shrestha, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Gunshots followed by an inferno Police responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from out back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames. — Matthew Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for engulf

Recent Examples of Synonyms for engulf

Verb

The combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.

— MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT, Miami Herald, 31 Aug. 2026
And on July 12, 2008, two undocumented immigrants drowned as a wash near Nogales flooded in a heavy thunderstorm.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of flood

Verb

But the speed and scale of investment could also overwhelm the institutions needed to manage it.

— Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
Ukraine possesses substantial counter-drone equipment, but the sheer volume of FPVs has the potential to overwhelm kinetic defenses.

— Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of overwhelm

Verb

Deputies riding Sea-Doos on July 18 rescued three swimmers not wearing life jackets who were close to drowning on Petite Lake in unincorporated Lake Villa.

— Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
The turbine room could have filled with water if the emergency shutdown systems failed, potentially drowning anyone inside.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of drown

Verb

They were found fatally stabbed and submerged in a bathtub full of water at a family shelter in the Bronx in November 2022, according to the outlets.

— Melina Khan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
The system uses an immersion-cooling design in which every battery cell is submerged in a dielectric coolant.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of submerge

Browse Nearby Words

engrossment

engulf

engulfed

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“Engulf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/engulf. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of engulf

verb

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