Engulf Meaning
/ɪŋˈɡʌlf/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo overwhelm.
verbTo surround; to cover; to submerge.
Sentence Examples
The flood waters are predicted to engulf the town.
Learning their religion will just engulf you in poverty.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The tsunami wave threatened to ____ the entire coastal village within minutes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The massive waves began to ____ the small boat during the storm.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Shaken by the biggest challenge to their authority in years, Brazil’s leaders made conciliatory gestures on Tuesday to try to defuse the protests engulfing the nation’s cities."
— 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times, retrieved 21 Jun 2013:
"The blank spaces of Mallarmé, the silence of Maesterlinck, the inaniloquous repetitive babblings of Gertrude Stein are the abyss which threatens to engulf creative effort if it continues in this direction."
— 1934, The Modern Monthly, volume 8, page 308:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The tsunami wave threatened to ____ the entire coastal village within minutes.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The massive waves began to ____ the small boat during the storm.