- to swallow up; overwhelm
- to plunge, as into a gulf
Origin of engulf
en- + gulf
Snow has engulfed this house.
To engulf is defined as to completely cover, surround, or overwhelm.
When snow completely covers the ground, this is an example of a time when snow engulfs the ground.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"Engulf." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Engulf.
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engulf
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"Engulf." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Engulf.
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Engulf. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Engulf
engulf
transitive verb
en·gulfed, en·gulf·ing, en·gulfsTo swallow up or overwhelm by or as if by overflowing and enclosing: The spring tide engulfed the beach houses.
Related Forms:
- en·gulf′ment
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"Engulf." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Engulf.
APA Style
Engulf. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Engulf
Verb
(third-person singular simple present engulfs, present participle engulfing, simple past and past participle engulfed)
Origin
en- + gulf
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"Engulf." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Engulf.
APA Style
Engulf. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Engulf
Sentence Examples
- When phagocytes encounter an invading organism, they surround and engulf it in order to destroy it.
- Engulf yourself in this mystical, legendary land.
- Tops that hit at the waist can break up a petite frame and long flowing tunics can engulf a smaller woman's body.
- When new antigens enter the body, white blood cells (called macrophages) engulf them, process the information contained in the antigens, and send it to the T-cells so that an immune system response can be mobilized.
- When these children are exposed to house dust mites, animal proteins, fungi, or other potential allergens, they produce a type of antibody that is intended to engulf and destroy the foreign materials.
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