Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense envelops, present participle enveloping, past tense, past participle enveloped
verb
If one thing envelops another, it covers or surrounds it completely.
That lovely, rich fragrant smell of the forest enveloped us. [VERB noun]
...an enveloping sense of well-being. [VERB-ing]
Synonyms: enclose, cover, hide, surround More Synonyms of envelop
envelop in British English
(ɪnˈvɛləp)
verbWord forms: -lops, -loping or -loped(transitive)
1.
to wrap or enclose in or as if in a covering
2.
to conceal or obscure, as from sight or understanding
a plan enveloped in mystery
3.
to surround or partially surround (an enemy force)
Derived forms
envelopment (enˈvelopment)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French envoluper, from en-1 + voluper, voloper, of obscure origin
envelop in American English
(ɛnˈvɛləp; ɪnˈvɛləp)
verb transitive
1.
to wrap up; cover completely
2.
to surround
3.
to conceal; hide
Derived forms
envelopment (enˈvelopment)
noun
Word origin
ME envolupen < OFr envoluper: see en-1 & develop
Examples of 'envelop' in a sentence
envelop
We took another few steps until the darkness enveloped us completely and at any moment we might have plunged into the abyss.
Begg, Ean & Rich, Deike On the Trail of Merlin - a guide to the Celtic mystery tradition (1991)
Senior industry executives have been stunned by how quickly the crisis has enveloped Detroit.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The mystery simply enveloped him.
Christianity Today (2000)
A sense of crisis enveloped Washington.
Divine, Robert A. (editor) & Breen, T. H & Frederickson, George M & Williams, R. Hal America Past and Present (1995)
In the dawn a monstrous wave, well over the height of the mast, appeared from nowhere and completely enveloped the ship.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
De Waal charts the secrecy and alchemy surrounding the race for porcelain: the great riches and low cunning that enveloped the mystery.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Instead, many spoke of spending the entire day enveloped in smoke, thinking that they were fighting in the first battle in which nobody would be left alive.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In other languages
envelop
British English: envelop VERB
If one thing envelops another, it covers or surrounds it completely.
That lovely, rich fragrant smell of the forest enveloped us.
American English: envelop
Brazilian Portuguese: envolver
Chinese: 包裹住
European Spanish: envolver
French: envelopper
German: einhüllen
Italian: avviluppare
Japanese: 包む
Korean: 에워싸다
European Portuguese: envolver
Latin American Spanish: envolver
(verb)
Definition
to cover, surround, or enclose
the thick black cloud of smoke that enveloped the area
Synonyms
enclose
The land was enclosed by an eight-foot wire fence.
cover
the black patch which covered his left eye
hide
The compound was hidden by trees and shrubs.
surround
The church was surrounded by a rusted wrought-iron fence.
wrap around
embrace
a theory that would embrace the whole field of human endeavour
blanket
More than a foot of snow blanketed parts of Michigan.
conceal
The device, concealed in a dustbin, was defused by police.
obscure
The building is almost completely obscured by a huge banner.
veil
Her hair swept across her face, as if to veil it.
encompass
Egypt is encompassed by the Mediterranean, Sudan, the Red Sea and Libya.
engulf
The flat was engulfed in flames.
cloak
He uses jargon to cloak his inefficiency.
shroud
Mist shrouded the outline of the palace.
swathe
She swathed herself in thin black fabrics.
encircle
A forty-foot-high concrete wall encircles the jail.
encase
swaddle
sheathe
enfold
Wood was comfortably enfolded in a woolly dressing-gown.
enwrap
Additional synonyms
in the sense of blanket
Definition
to cover as if with a blanket
More than a foot of snow blanketed parts of Michigan.
Synonyms
coat,
cover,
hide,
surround,
cloud,
mask,
conceal,
obscure,
eclipse,
cloak
in the sense of cloak
Definition
to hide or disguise
He uses jargon to cloak his inefficiency.
Synonyms
hide,
cover,
screen,
mask,
disguise,
conceal,
obscure,
veil,
camouflage
in the sense of conceal
Definition
to cover and hide
The device, concealed in a dustbin, was defused by police.