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)
-
gulped,
past participle, past
-
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
-
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
These were all shows whose writers knew how to keep viewers on the hook by giving them small tastes of the biggest secrets, with the occasional gulp of a major reveal.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2025
"I did see him surface and I think he took a gulp, and then I thought I saw him being thrown in the air," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2024
I take a bite of Nora’s cookie and wash it down with a gulp of juice.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
They took gulps of water simultaneously, as the moderators began.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2024
ChatGPT gulps roughly a 16-ounce bottle in as few as 10 queries, calculates Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Riverside, and his colleagues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 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
A slow walk after collecting his cap, hands placed on hips as he gulps in air, and he is able to switch between bowler and leader.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2023
A lump rises in the base of my throat, tightening my airway and shortening my breaths to shallow gulps.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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
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
Passing prey would have been killed with a single bite, and then gulped straight down - scientists think this monster didn't bother to chew its food.
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2024
She lifted her head and gulped at the air.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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
Yes, gulping the liquid the night before was an ordeal — try drinking three liters of anything in three hours, going to sleep, then waking up six hours later for one final liter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 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
With the oddest feeling of living someone else’s memory, I broke the surface of the lake, gulping in air.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
