Engulf

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

engulf
    v 1: devote (oneself) fully to; "He immersed himself into his
         studies" [syn: {steep}, {immerse}, {engulf}, {plunge},
         {engross}, {absorb}, {soak up}]
    2: flow over or cover completely; "The bright light engulfed him
       completely"

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Ingulf \In*gulf"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Ingulfed}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Ingulfing}.] [Cf. {Engulf}.] [Written also {engulf}.]
   To swallow up or overwhelm in, or as in, a gulf; to cast into
   a gulf. See {Engulf}.
   [1913 Webster]

         A river large . . .
         Passed underneath ingulfed.              --Milton.
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Engulf \En*gulf"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Engulfed}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Engulfing}.] [Pref. en- + gulf: cf. OF. engolfer. Cf.
   {Ingulf}.]
   To absorb or swallow up as in a gulf.
   [1913 Webster]

         It quite engulfs all human thought.      --Young.

   Syn: See {Absorb}.
        [1913 Webster]

from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

61 Moby Thesaurus words for "engulf":
      baptize, be prodigal with, bury, cascade, cataract, deluge, devour,
      dip, douse, drink, drown, duck, dunk, eat, engorge, flood,
      flood the market, gobble, gulp, gulp down, imbibe, immerge,
      immerse, ingest, ingurgitate, inundate, merge, overbrim, overdose,
      overequip, overflow, overfurnish, overlavish, overprovender,
      overprovide, overprovision, overrun, oversell, overstock,
      oversupply, overwhelm, plunge in water, pour out, pour over,
      run over, sink, slop, slosh, souse, spill, spill out, spill over,
      submerge, submerse, swallow, swamp, sweep, swill, swill down,
      whelm, wolf down

[email protected]