gulp
Americanverb (used without object)
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gulps,
present (3rd person singular)
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gulped,
past participle, past
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gulping
present participle
verb (used with object)
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gulps,
present (3rd person singular)
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gulped,
past participle, past
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gulping
present participle
noun
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gulps
plural
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the act of gulping.
He drank the whole bottle of beer in one gulp.
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the amount swallowed at one time; mouthful.
verb
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to swallow rapidly, esp in large mouthfuls
to gulp down food
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to stifle or choke
to gulp back sobs
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(intr) to swallow air convulsively, as while drinking, because of nervousness, surprise, etc
-
(intr) to make a noise, as when swallowing too quickly
noun
-
the act of gulping
-
the quantity taken in a gulp
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gulpsimple
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gulpssimple
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have gulpedperfect
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has gulpedperfect
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am gulpingprogressive
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are gulpingprogressive
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is gulpingprogressive
-
have been gulpingperfect progressive
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has been gulpingperfect progressive
Past
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gulpedsimple
-
had gulpedperfect
-
was gulpingprogressive
-
were gulpingprogressive
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had been gulpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gulp
1400–50; late Middle English gulpen (v.); compare Dutch gulpen, Norwegian glupa
Explanation
To gulp is to loudly and quickly swallow food, drink, or air. You might gulp nervously before you stand up to make a speech. When you gulp down your breakfast so you can run and catch your bus, or gulp air upon rising to the surface of a swimming pool, you can say you take a gulp — or many gulps. The word dates from the 1300s, but its origin is somewhat uncertain. Most experts link it to the imitative Dutch gulpen, "to gush, guzzle, or swallow."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A.I. writing is now in my water supply, whether I can identify each new gulp or not.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
It had somehow learned to peel off the bottles’ lids and gulp the cream down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Again, it's not just the losses that might be making some Celtic fans gulp.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
The first season ended in April and dropped weekly, but waiting to gulp down episodes in a couple of sittings may be more rewarding than taking it in over a couple of months.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2025
Declaration took a big gulp of her RC and put her hat back on her head.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
After last-minute gulps of water, everyone filters back into the heat of the desert and hurries to air out the cars’ ovenlike cabins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
As we open the gate, Matt visibly gulps.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025
They took gulps of water simultaneously, as the moderators began.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2024
With bottles and glasses lined up before them, judges from several countries sampled various brands, swishing gulps of water and sometimes spitting mouthfuls into canisters, as wine tasters do.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
I grabbed the teapot and swallowed a few gulps of water before passing it on to Yossel and Samuel.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
Trout, their speckled flanks gleaming in the sun, gulped them down one by one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
“The money question remains as to how many barrels vacated by India will be gulped up by the Chinese teapots,” Raj said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025
"The ocean changed steadily and started encroaching the hotel. The last standing cottage was gulped by the sea in 2019, marking the end of my glorious hotel," Italian businessman Mr Macri told the BBC.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2024
And when a Labrador retriever owned by another company officer gulped down a bagel impaled with a toothpick, he said, most of the resulting $10,5000 surgical bill was covered as well.
From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2024
The whole greenhouse came to life as vines tangled poxies, gigantic Venus flytraps gulped down demons, and trees swatted the waves of flies filling the air.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Bass frequently resorted to her trademark nervous laughter and repeated obviously crafted lines with all the enthusiasm of someone gulping down cod oil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Nearby, crowds huddled in thin strips of shade outside pavilions, gulping free bottles of water that workers were distributing throughout the event.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
It’s the stuff of popcorn binging and soda gulping, a classic summertime treat.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2024
Over time Paul learnt to consciously breathe by gulping down air, using his throat muscles to force air into his lungs.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2024
Otto preferred his mashed into milk and I had mine as is, gulping down three cinnamon-flavored bars in as many minutes.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
