Learn English – A word or phrase that means to swallow people

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ln some parts of the world, violent earthquakes sometimes make the ground open up and swallow people.
My question is: is there a word or phrase to describe this appalling scene?

Best Answer

The following biblical passage uses language very similar to your own:

the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions (Numbers 16:32)

This passage should convince you that there is nothing wrong with plainly saying "the earth swallowed the people."

You could also say:

the earth opened its maw to swallow them

where maw means "the jaws or throat of a voracious animal."

You could also say:

The earth devoured them

where devour means "eat (food or prey) hungrily or quickly."

All of these examples anthropomorphize the earth (that is, depict the earth with human characteristics like having a mouth). There is nothing wrong with this technique and it can be quite effective, especially when combined with evocative words like maw and devour, which connote viciousness and gluttony.

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