MEANING
1. To surround or cover something completely, often with sudden force.
2. To overwhelm someone or something with a powerful feeling, event, or condition.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- flames engulf a building
- engulf in darkness
On the page
Flames engulfed the upper floor before the alarm sounded.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- engulf
- Past tense
- engulfed
- Past participle
- engulfed
- Present participle
- engulfing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- engulf
- Present continuous
- am/is/are engulfing
- Present perfect
- have/has engulfed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been engulfing
- Past
- engulfed
- Past continuous
- was/were engulfing
- Past perfect
- had engulfed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been engulfing
- Future
- will engulf
- Future continuous
- will be engulfing
- Future perfect
- will have engulfed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been engulfing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: engulf; engulfs; engulfed; engulfed; engulfing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: engulfs.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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