verb
Meaning 1
To overwhelm.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- Depression engulfed her after her daughter's death.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
engulf
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ɪŋˈɡʌlf/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ʌlf
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CMU ARPABET: IH0 N G AH1 L F Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To surround; to cover; to submerge.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- Only Noah and his family survived when the Flood engulfed the world.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To cast into a gulf.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
devote (oneself) fully to
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- He immersed himself into his studies
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: steep, immerse, plunge, engross, absorb, soak up
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: concentrate, focus, center, centre, pore, rivet
Narrower terms: drink in, drink
verb
Meaning 5
flow over or cover completely
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The bright light engulfed him completely
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: envelop, enfold, enwrap, wrap, enclose
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Old French en-bor. Middle English en- English en- English gulf English engulf From en- + gulf.
Across languages
Translations
44 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Armenian: համակել (hamakel) — overwhelm
- Bulgarian: обхващам (obhvaštam) — overwhelm
- Chinese Mandarin: 吞沒 /吞没 (tūnmò) — overwhelm
- Dutch: overweldigen — overwhelm
- Finnish: vallata — overwhelm
- French: submerger — overwhelm
- German: überwältigen — overwhelm
- Italian: sopraffare — overwhelm
- Italian: travolgere — overwhelm
- Māori: romi — overwhelm
- Māori: roromi — overwhelm
- Portuguese: engolir — overwhelm
- Portuguese: engolfar — overwhelm
- Russian: охва́тывать (oxvátyvatʹ) — overwhelm
- Spanish: envolver — overwhelm
- Spanish: sepultar — overwhelm
- Spanish: tragar — overwhelm
- Spanish: engullir — overwhelm
- Spanish: sumirse en — overwhelm
- Spanish: engolfar — overwhelm
- Armenian: կլանել (klanel) — surround; cover
- Armenian: կուլ տալ (kul tal) — surround; cover
- Bulgarian: поглъщам (poglǎštam) — surround; cover
- Chinese Mandarin: 淹沒 /淹没 (yānmò) — surround; cover
- Dutch: bedekken — surround; cover
- Dutch: omringen — surround; cover
- Esperanto: engluti — surround; cover
- Finnish: peittää — surround; cover
- Finnish: nielaista — surround; cover
- French: engloutir — surround; cover
- French: engouffrer — surround; cover
- German: verschlingen — surround; cover
- Italian: sommergere — surround; cover
- Italian: circondare — surround; cover
- Eastern Mari: аваш (avaš) — surround; cover
- Portuguese: cobrir — surround; cover
- Russian: поглоща́ть (pogloščátʹ) — surround; cover
- Russian: засыпа́ть (zasypátʹ) — surround; cover
- Russian: залива́ть (zalivátʹ) — surround; cover
- Spanish: sumergir — surround; cover
- Spanish: cubrir — surround; cover
- Thai: ปกคลุม (bpòk-klum) — surround; cover
- Thai: ท่วม (tûuam) — surround; cover
- Turkish: kaplamak — surround; cover