engulfed

verb

past tense of engulf
as in flooded
to cover with a flood high waves from the hurricane engulfed large areas of the coastal community

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of engulfed On Saturday alone, at least 2,400 people were arrested after rioters in cities across France clashed with police, set cars on fire, stormed public buildings, looted stores and engulfed a historic city hall in flames. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 This is against the backdrop of the French government imposing a curfew and many businesses and some famous tourist attractions shutting down amid the wave of violence that engulfed sections of Paris and other cites around the country. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Theranos was already engulfed in scandal, though Holmes had yet to be criminally charged. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 Flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in the city of Limoges, in central France, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building. — Sylvie Corbet, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026 In 2024, the main nationwide entrance examination for medical schools was engulfed in controversy over a slew of irregularities, including the advance leak of the exam’s questions. — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026 These poignant and revealing journals cover the years after the financial disaster that engulfed Scott. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026 According to Le Monde, around 150 firefighters and 50 emergency vehicles were deployed to tackle the blaze, which engulfed the market overnight. — Alessia Armenise, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026 Skeletons stand as tall as roof lines, porches are engulfed in spider webs, and front yards turn into grave sites. — Michelle Mastro, Midwest Living, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for engulfed
  1. flooded
  2. overwhelmed
  3. drowned
  4. submerged
Verb
  • Authorities were assessing who else needed help, including many whose homes weren't flooded but were cut off by floodwaters.
    — MEAD GRUVER, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • About 90% of the city was flooded ​following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the White House.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of flooded
Verb
  • Following Stark’s rescue, the first responders at Paradise Canyon Drive were overwhelmed, according to two civilians who were present and Hernandez’s body-camera footage.
    — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Swain settled in this preseason, showing an improved progression in his decision making when he was not overwhelmed by on-ball duties.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of overwhelmed
Verb
  • But, according to my kids anyway, they’re drowned out by the very thin ones.
    — Danielle Pergament, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026
  • And when the track finally resumed, the lyrics were nearly drowned out by the eruption of cheers as his silhouette was illuminated by golden lights.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of drowned
Verb
  • In nearby Rio Grande County, trailers at a campground were surrounded by high water and trucks were partially submerged in other areas.
    — Mead Gruver, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Damon said the wreck is fully submerged and usually difficult to see.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of submerged

Browse Nearby Words

engulf
engulfed
engulfing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Engulfed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/engulfed. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All