Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To swallow up or overwhelm by or as if by overflowing and enclosing.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To swallow up in or as in a gulf or whirlpool; overwhelm by swallowing or submerging.
- To cast into or as into a gulf.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To absorb or swallow up as in a gulf.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
overwhelm . - verb transitive To
surround ; tocover .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb devote (oneself) fully to
- verb flow over or cover completely
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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On the one hand, opponents say a public plan option will be so popular that it will "engulf" the private insurance market -- repeatedly citing the Lewin study that we've already discussed here.
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MSPs would launch a revolution that would "engulf" Scotland and put socialism back on the agenda across Europe.
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As the river sweeps away our words and thoughts, our mind gets out of the way to make room for the waves of joy that will soon engulf us and take us on unfathomable spiritual journeys.
The Bushman Way of Tracking God PhD Bradford Keeney 2010
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Richard Barnbrook, one of the British National party's most senior figures, has been expelled as part of an increasingly bitter feud threatening to engulf the far-right organisation.
British National Party: lurking in Barnet Dave Hill 2010
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More revelations are sure to come, a cleansing flood of leaks that threatens to engulf both the government and senior Canadian Forces figures.
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NEW YORK—Moody's Investors Service placed Italy—the euro zone's third-largest economy—on notice Friday, warning that its sovereign rating may be imperiled by a weak economy and rising interest rates, just as Europe struggles to contend with a raging debt crisis that threatens to engulf Greece.
Moody's Puts Italy's Rating on Watch Javier E. David 2011
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So the flood did not engulf the whole town, but only a part.
Modern Science in the Bible Ben Hobrink 2011
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It has episodes of dewy elegance; it has an amazing smoke-belching event, during which the fire of war seems about to leap from the stage and engulf the stalls.
Birdsong; On Ageing; The Big Fellah; Yes, Prime Minister Susannah Clapp 2010
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NEW YORK—Moody's Investors Service placed Italy—the euro zone's third-largest economy—on notice Friday, warning that its sovereign rating may be imperiled by a weak economy and rising interest rates, just as Europe struggles to contend with a raging debt crisis that threatens to engulf Greece.
Moody's Warns Italy on Economy Javier E. David 2011
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Violence in Syria threatens to engulf the last corner of the Middle East relatively untouched by the uprisings.
As Arab Spring Turns Violent, Democracy Advocates Face Big Challenges Matt Bradley 2011
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