engulfs
Surrounds and overwhelms
Engulfs is the third-person singular of engulf, meaning to swallow up or overwhelm completely.
Fire engulfs a building, flames consuming it entirely.
Floodwaters engulf a town.
The word works figuratively too: Grief engulfed her, The scandal engulfed the administration.
The sense is of something surrounded and overcome on all sides.
Defeats through greater strength
- inundatesOverwhelms with quantity
- floodsOverflowing onto dry land
- delugesSevere overwhelming floods
- swampsWaterlogged forested wetlands
besieges · overruns · consumes · overtakes · saturates · drowns out · buries · smothers
Visible burning combustion
- infernoDevastating, uncontrollable blaze
- blazeIntense burning fire
- conflagrationLarge destructive blaze
- wildfireUncontrolled vegetation blaze
combustion · burns · scorches · incinerates · razes · chars · ignites · spreads
Eats ravenously
inhales · assimilates · subsumes · incorporates · takes in · sucks in · engrosses · imbibes
overpowers
Defeats through greater strength
swamps · besieges · overruns · consumes · overtakes · saturates · drowns out · buries · smothers · submerges
flames
Visible burning combustion
- infernoDevastating, uncontrollable blaze
- blazeIntense burning fire
- conflagrationLarge destructive blaze
wildfire · combustion · burns · scorches · incinerates · razes · chars · ignites · spreads · devours
devours
Eats ravenously
gulps · inhales · assimilates · subsumes · incorporates · takes in · sucks in · engrosses · imbibes · engorges
floods
Overflowing onto dry land
immerses · sinks · swamps · deluges · washes over · overwhelms · submerses · drenches · saturates · waterlogged
shrouds
Wraps that hide
encases · surrounds · encloses · cocoons · swathes · blankets · veils · enshrouds · enwraps · embraces
engulfsreleases
Lets go or publishes
expels · disgorges · ejects · emits · relinquishes
engulfsdries
Loses moisture content
drains · empties · desiccates · parches