ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Swallow

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈswɒl.əʊ/ · Part of speech verb

Quick meaning: Swallow is a verb meaning (transitive) To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.

Meaning

(transitive) To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.

More Meanings

  1. (transitive) To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb.
  2. (transitive) To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept.
  3. (intransitive) To engross; to appropriate; usually with up.
  4. (transitive) To retract; to recant.
  5. (transitive) To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation.
  6. (intransitive) To take food down into the stomach; to make the muscular contractions of the oesophagus to achieve this, often taken as a sign of nervousness or strong emotion.
  7. (slang) To fellate; perform oral sex.

Example Sentences

My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow.
She swallowed nervously then, appearing near sick with what she had to say.
The necessary provision of the life swallows the greatest part of their time.
His body, like so many others swallowed by the ocean's hungry maw, was never found.

Word Forms

Synonyms for swallow

Depending on context, synonyms include martin, consume, devour, eat, gulp, absorb.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include deglutition, drink, sup, immerse, bury, withdraw.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.