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
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Recent Examples of engulf
For one, investigators are looking into ceiling materials in the basement bar where the blaze broke out, trying to determine how the fire engulfed partygoers so quickly.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
Two people were injured early Saturday morning when flames engulfed a motorhome in Adams County, according to the fire department.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2026
Western Sudan is once again engulfed in a bloody and brutal civil war.
—January 3, NPR, 3 Jan. 2026
Photographs showed parts of Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, engulfed in flames.
—Richard Hall, Time, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for engulf
Recent Examples of Synonyms for engulf
Verb
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The post was flooded with support from both fans and celebrities.—
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Beijing will keep trying to export its way out, flooding global markets—an approach that most trading partners may absorb this year but won’t tolerate forever.—
Verb
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Duncyte, the master’s student from Lithuania, said she was immediately overwhelmed by Colorado’s beauty and wildlife.—
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Families will drop their plans, get sicker and even die without essential treatment, and hospitals will be overwhelmed with untreated people coming to the emergency room.—
Verb
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One villager has drowned in flash floods in the eastern province of Catanduanes, officials confirmed to the Associated Press, while another died in Catbalogan city in eastern Samar province after being pinned by debris from a collapsed home.—
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Even more poignant, however, is the Rosemary's Baby angle, where the innocence of childhood is drowned in blood and the notion that a young person reared in a loving environment should develop into a compassionate adult is perverted into unthinkable horror.—
Verb
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Adams County Fire Rescue Bystanders pulled the driver out of the car, which was partially submerged and upside down, just as first responders arrived at the scene.—
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The broom head should not be submerged in the water—just the bottom half of the bristles.—
Cite this Entry
“Engulf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/engulf. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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