swallow; devour; engulf; annex
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesverb
to swallow; to devour; to engulf (often used metaphorically for disasters, flames, etc.)
Can be used literally for eating voraciously, or metaphorically to describe something being completely consumed or destroyed by natural forces, fire, or abstract concepts like time.
The flood engulfed the lives of thousands upon thousands of people.
The raging fire consumed the entire forest.
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He devoured the food before him ravenously.
verb
to annex; to absorb; to merge (territory, organization, etc.)
literaryLiterary or formal usage, often describing the aggressive absorption of smaller territories by larger powers, or the acquisition of companies in business contexts.
In those turbulent times, powerful nations constantly annexed the territories of weaker states.
This large corporation gradually absorbed all of its competitors.
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The feudal lords annexed one another, causing the people to suffer terribly.