engulf
gb/ɪŋɡˈʌlf/ us/ɪŋɡˈʌlf/
B2
Inglés
elnyel, beborít, elönt, bekebelez, befal
VERBO
B2
1
elnyel
B2
Patrón de uso:
[something] engulfs [someone/something]
Within minutes, the fire engulfed the warehouse.
Perceken belül a tűz elnyelte a raktárt.
A sudden wave engulfed the small boat and knocked everyone overboard.
Egy hirtelen jött hullám elnyelte a kis csónakot, és mindenkit a vízbe sodort.
Lava flows engulfed the road and cut off the village.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
The fire engulfed the house.
A tűz elnyelte a házat.
Big waves engulfed the boat.
A nagy hullámok elnyelték a csónakot.
Error frecuente:
Often used in the passive: 'was engulfed in/by'. Don't use it for small or partial covering.
Significado
cover completely and destroy
Colocaciones
engulfed in flames
|engulf the building
|engulf the town
|engulf the boat
|engulfed by waves
|engulf the coastline
|engulfed by fire
|engulf the street
|be quickly engulfed
|engulfed within minutes
Sinónimos
swallow up (Emphasizes being taken in completely.)
|
consume (Focuses on destruction, especially by fire.)
|
overtake (Highlights rapid spreading over an area.)
Antónimos
spare (Means to leave unharmed or untouched.)
|
uncover (Means to remove what covers something.)
Temas
nature
|disasters
|news
Definición
to cover something completely, often in a dangerous way
To spread over and completely cover something, especially so that it is overwhelmed or destroyed, for example by fire, water, or lava.
VERBO
B2
2
beborít
B2
Patrón de uso:
[fog/smoke/darkness] engulfs [place/thing]
Fog engulfed the valley and forced drivers to slow down.
A köd beborította a völgyet, és arra kényszerítette az autósokat, hogy lassítsanak.
When the power went out, darkness engulfed the room.
Amikor elment az áram, sötétség borította be a szobát.
Thick smoke engulfed the stage during the special effects.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
Fog engulfed the town.
A köd beborította a várost.
Error frecuente:
Not usually used for a light or thin covering; it suggests being fully surrounded.
Significado
surround and hide from view
Colocaciones
fog engulfed the valley
|engulfed in darkness
|engulfed by smoke
|mist engulfed the hills
|engulf the streetlights
|engulf the harbor
|engulfed at dusk
|engulfed overnight
|engulf the skyline
|engulfed in a thick fog
Sinónimos
envelop (Slightly more neutral and often more literary.)
|
shroud (Stresses concealment, often with a dramatic tone.)
|
blanket (Common with weather; suggests a layer over an area.)
Antónimos
clear (Means to become free of fog/smoke or easier to see.)
|
reveal (Means to make something visible or known.)
Temas
weather
|daily_life
|travel
Definición
to cover a place so you cannot see clearly
To surround something so completely that it is covered or hidden, for example by fog, smoke, darkness, or mist.
VERBO
C1
3
elönt
B2
Patrón de uso:
[someone] is engulfed by/in [emotion/problem]
She was engulfed by grief after the funeral.
A temetés után elöntötte a gyász.
As the deadline approached, he felt engulfed by anxiety.
Ahogy közeledett a határidő, úgy érezte, elönti a szorongás.
The region was engulfed in chaos after the storm.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
I was engulfed by fear.
Elöntött a félelem.
Error frecuente:
Usually used with strong, often negative feelings (grief, fear, anxiety) and in passive forms.
Significado
overwhelm emotionally or mentally
Colocaciones
engulfed by grief
|engulfed in fear
|engulfed by anxiety
|engulfed by guilt
|engulfed in panic
|be engulfed in despair
|engulfed by stress
|engulfed by doubt
|engulfed by sadness
|engulfed in emotion
Sinónimos
overwhelm (More general and the most common alternative.)
|
consume (Suggests the feeling dominates a person over time.)
|
swamp (More informal; emphasizes having too much to handle.)
Antónimos
calm (Means to become less upset or anxious.)
|
relieve (Means to reduce a burden or unpleasant feeling.)
Temas
emotions
|health
|society
Definición
to feel completely taken over by a strong feeling or problem
To overwhelm someone so strongly that they feel unable to cope, especially with an emotion, stress, or a difficult situation.
VERBO
C1
FORMAL
4
bekebelez
C1
Patrón de uso:
[larger thing] engulfs [smaller thing]
Over the decades, the city has engulfed once-rural villages.
Az évtizedek során a város bekebelezte az egykor falusias településeket.
Critics say big chains are engulfing local shops.
A bírálók szerint a nagy üzletláncok bekebelezik a helyi üzleteket.
The new platform rapidly engulfed smaller competitors.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
The city engulfed nearby towns.
A város bekebelezte a közeli településeket.
Error frecuente:
Not the same as 'involve'; it implies one thing disappears into the larger one.
Significado
absorb into something larger
Colocaciones
the city engulfed nearby villages
|urban sprawl engulfed
|engulf smaller companies
|engulf the suburbs
|engulf its rivals
|engulf local businesses
|engulf neighboring towns
|a giant that engulfs competitors
|engulf the market
|engulfed by development
Sinónimos
absorb (Neutral; emphasizes becoming part of a whole.)
|
subsume (More formal; stresses being brought under a larger category or control.)
|
take over (Emphasizes control, often in business contexts.)
Antónimos
separate (Means to keep things apart rather than merging them.)
|
preserve (Means to keep something unchanged or intact.)
Temas
business
|cities
|society
Definición
to grow and include smaller places or groups
To take in and include something completely as part of something larger, especially as a city, organization, or system expands.
VERBO
C1
5
befal
B1
Patrón de uso:
[someone/animal] engulfs [food]
He engulfed his sandwich in two bites.
Két harapással befalta a szendvicsét.
The dog engulfed the food before anyone could stop it.
A kutya befalta az ételt, mielőtt bárki meg tudta volna állítani.
She engulfed a bowl of noodles after the long run.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
He engulfed his meal.
Befalta az ebédjét.
Error frecuente:
This meaning is less common than the 'fire/water' or 'overwhelm' meanings; 'devour' is often more natural.
Significado
eat or swallow quickly
Colocaciones
engulf a sandwich
|engulf his dinner
|engulf the meal
|engulf a burger
|engulf the pizza
|engulf the food
|engulfed in seconds
|engulf it whole
|engulfed two slices
|engulfed the last bite
Sinónimos
devour (The most common synonym for eating quickly and eagerly.)
|
wolf down (Informal; stresses speed.)
|
gobble up (Often suggests noisy or greedy eating.)
Antónimos
nibble (Means to eat in small bites, slowly.)
|
savor (Means to eat slowly and enjoy the taste.)
Temas
food
|daily_life
Definición
to eat something very fast
To eat or swallow something quickly and eagerly, often in large bites.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
engulf
AFI
GB/ɪŋɡˈʌlf/
US/ɪŋɡˈʌlf/
Sílabas y acento
en - gulf (2 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (gulf)
Formas de la palabra
Verb
- Base: engulf
- 3rd Person Singular: engulfs
- Present Participle: engulfing
- Past: engulfed
Familia de palabras
Forms
engulfs
verb
engulfing
verb
engulfed
verb
Related words
gulf
noun A2
Advanced or less common
engulfment
noun
Expresiones
be engulfed by smoke
1/bˈi ɪŋɡˈʌlft bˈaɪ smˈoʊk/
fixed phrase
be surrounded by thick smoke
to be covered with a lot of smoke
Ejemplos
- The hallway was engulfed by smoke, and the alarm was blaring.
- Several neighborhoods were engulfed by smoke from the wildfire.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The room was engulfed by smoke.
be engulfed by waves
1/bˈi ɪŋɡˈʌlft bˈaɪ wˈeɪvz/
fixed phrase
be covered by seawater
to be covered by big waves
Ejemplos
- The kayak was engulfed by waves as the storm moved in.
- Several hikers were engulfed by waves while standing on the rocks.
be engulfed in a sea of [people/things]
1/bˈi ɪŋɡˈʌlft ˈɪn ə sˈi əv pˈipəlθɪŋz/
idiom
be surrounded by a huge crowd
to be surrounded by many similar things
Ejemplos
- On the first day of the festival, we were engulfed in a sea of people.
- The small stage was almost engulfed in a sea of flags and banners.
be engulfed in controversy
1/bˈi ɪŋɡˈʌlft ˈɪn kˈɑntɹəvˌɚsi/
fixed phrase
formal
become a public scandal
to be involved in a big public argument or scandal
Ejemplos
- The company was engulfed in controversy after the data leak.
- A senior official resigned as the administration was engulfed in controversy.
be engulfed in darkness
1/bˈi ɪŋɡˈʌlft ˈɪn dˈɑɹknəs/
fixed phrase
become completely dark
to become completely dark
Ejemplos
- After the blackout, the entire street was engulfed in darkness.
- The trail was engulfed in darkness long before we reached the cabin.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The city was engulfed in darkness.
be engulfed in flames
1/bˈi ɪŋɡˈʌlft ˈɪn flˈeɪmz/
fixed phrase
be completely on fire
to be completely burning
Ejemplos
- Minutes after the crash, the car was engulfed in flames.
- By the time firefighters arrived, the roof was engulfed in flames.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The house was engulfed in flames.
be engulfed in grief/fear (etc.)
1/bˈi ɪŋɡˈʌlft ˈɪn ɡɹˈiffˈɛɹ ˌɛtsˈɛtɚə ‖/
fixed phrase
be overwhelmed by emotion
to feel an emotion very strongly
Ejemplos
- He was engulfed in grief for months after the loss.
- In the final seconds of the match, she was engulfed in panic.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I was engulfed in fear.
engulf [someone] in a hug
1/ɪŋɡˈʌlf sˈʌmwˌʌn ˈɪn ə hˈʌɡ/
fixed phrase
hug very tightly
to hug someone very tightly
Ejemplos
- She engulfed her son in a hug when he walked through the door.
- He laughed and engulfed his friend in a hug.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- She engulfed him in a hug.