swallow
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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swallows,
present (3rd person singular)
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swallowed,
past participle, past
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swallowing
present participle
-
to take into the stomach by drawing through the throat and esophagus with a voluntary muscular action, as food, drink, or other substances.
-
to take in so as to envelop; withdraw from sight; assimilate or absorb.
He was swallowed by the crowd.
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to accept without question or suspicion; believe; trust.
- Antonyms:
- discredit, disbelieve
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to accept without opposition; put up with.
to swallow an insult.
-
to accept for lack of an alternative.
Consumers will have to swallow new price hikes.
-
to suppress (emotion, a laugh, a sob, etc.) as if by drawing it down one's throat.
-
to take back; retract.
to swallow one's words.
-
to enunciate poorly; mutter.
He swallowed his words.
verb (used without object)
-
swallows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swallowed,
past participle, past
-
swallowing
present participle
noun
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the act or an instance of swallowing.
-
a quantity swallowed at one time; a mouthful.
Take one swallow of brandy.
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capacity for swallowing.
-
Also called crown, throat. Nautical, Machinery. the space in a block, between the groove of the sheave and the shell, through which the rope runs.
noun
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any of numerous small, long-winged passerine birds of the family Hirundinidae, noted for their swift, graceful flight and for the extent and regularity of their migrations.
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any of several unrelated, swallowlike birds, as the chimney swift.
verb
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to pass (food, drink, etc) through the mouth to the stomach by means of the muscular action of the oesophagus
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(often foll by up) to engulf or destroy as if by ingestion
Nazi Germany swallowed up several small countries
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informal to believe gullibly
he will never swallow such an excuse
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to refrain from uttering or manifesting
to swallow one's disappointment
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to endure without retaliation
-
to enunciate (words, etc) indistinctly; mutter
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(often foll by down) to eat or drink reluctantly
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(intr) to perform or simulate the act of swallowing, as in gulping
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to retract a statement, argument, etc, often in humiliating circumstances
noun
noun
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any passerine songbird of the family Hirundinidae, esp Hirundo rustica ( common or barn swallow ), having long pointed wings, a forked tail, short legs, and a rapid flight
-
See fairy swallow
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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swallowernoun
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swallow-likeadjective
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swallowableadjective
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unswallowableadjective
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unswallowedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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swallowsimple
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swallowssimple
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have swallowedperfect
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has swallowedperfect
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am swallowingprogressive
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are swallowingprogressive
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is swallowingprogressive
-
have been swallowingperfect progressive
-
has been swallowingperfect progressive
Past
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swallowedsimple
-
had swallowedperfect
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was swallowingprogressive
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were swallowingprogressive
-
had been swallowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of swallow1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb swolwen, swalwen, Old English swelgan; cognate with German schwelgen; akin to Old Norse svelgja; Middle English noun swolwe, swoluh, Old English geswelgh “throat, abyss, whirlpool”; akin to Middle Low German swelch, Old High German swelgo “glutton,” Old Norse svelgr “swirl, whirlpool; devourer”
Origin of swallow2
First recorded before 900; Middle English swal(e)we, Old English sweal(e)we; cognate with German Schwalbe, Old Norse svala
Explanation
When you swallow food or liquid is pushed from your mouth to the esophagus. Chew your food well before you swallow it. As a verb, swallow means "to enclose or envelop completely," like quicksand that swallows everything that falls into it. Swallow can also mean "to stop from expressing," like when you swallow your pride and ask for help. The noun swallow describes a gulp, though you don't always do it for digestion; sometimes a few swallows of air help you keep from crying. A swallow is also a type of small songbird.
Vocabulary lists containing swallow
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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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:
Rodriguez was even more direct, saying, “I think those are all tethered together to make you swallow the poison.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
"ASEAN members are more than willing to help," Malaysian parliamentarian Hassan Abdul Karim told AFP, "provided Indonesia is willing to swallow their bigger ego and pride."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
It can be a bitter pill to swallow.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
At a press conference on Wednesday, Pike's lawyers said she was shackled to the bed and suffering from pneumonia, significant swelling on her arms, and was unable to swallow.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
The smell washed over me a moment later, and I had to swallow hard to get my gag reflex in check.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
In “Rare Bird” a woman in 18th-century England finds pleasure in the company of a new friend, who helps her test a claim from the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus that swallows hibernate underwater.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Smoke swallows civilization while sparks fall around the baroque column of the Fuente de los Luceros.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
When a mosquito takes a blood meal, it also swallows any viruses or parasites living in its host’s blood.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
"Simply put, it swallows up matter and influences how stars in nearby galaxies grow."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 30, 2026
“I mean, we won’t dive-bomb you like the barn swallows will. That’s what they do. To protect their chicks. So.”
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
A perfect drive swallowed by a rabbit hole?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
After the 25-foot-deep hole swallowed Cage’s driveway, the city of Malibu red-tagged 31 homes on the street, forcing evacuations since the damage blocks the only route in and out of the beach side neighborhood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Learn about whale biology: If you’ve seen or heard of the movie Whalefall, in which a scuba diver is swallowed by a whale, you have probably wondered whether the premise is at all plausible.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
"It's so hard to make a living from food people fall over themselves to get these environmental grants, and then they're swallowed up in no time. It's so unfair."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
It felt as if he was being swallowed.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The dolphin arrived with "serious vision problems" and other health issues, it said, and "began having difficulties swallowing and respiratory problems" in the hours before she died.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
In that sense, blindly swallowing AI’s positive hype can be as dangerous as its alleged existential risks.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
The question is whether a decline in overall sales is worth swallowing if it means selling a higher share of goods at full price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Hindbrain neurons also direct muscles in the face, tongue and throat that are important for speaking and swallowing.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
I paint a monster with poisoned eyes swallowing up the sun so the whole world goes dark.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
