swig
Americannoun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of swig
First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain
Explanation
A swig is a big, fast gulp, like the swig you take from your water bottle after hiking up a hill on a hot summer day. If your dainty friend is delicately sipping her iced tea while you swig yours, you'll definitely be finished first. To swig is to take a big, healthy slurp of a drink. Originally this informal word was associated with alcoholic beverages, but today you can use it for anything you're drinking with gusto. Experts aren't sure where swig comes from, but some guess it's connected to the Old English swelgan, "to swallow."
Vocabulary lists containing swig
The Color of My Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Free Lunch
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Road Home
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Utah-based chain Swig — with some amplification from social media —helped make dirty soda a hit, as a story from Eater noted last year.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026
In February, visits to Swig stores were up 30.7% year over year, and up 137.9% from February 2023, retail-traffic analytics firm Placer.ai said in a report last month.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026
Throughout its four seasons, “Mormon Wives” has featured lighthearted content like the moms’ love of the soda shop Swig and more weighty topics, including gender roles within the Mormon church.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
That’s what the creator of the chain Swig calls spiking Coke, Mountain Dew or Dr Pepper with fruit purées and flavored creams, served in plastic cups stuffed with pebble ice.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
And Swig says: "Well, Mr. Febrile, have you ever acted ill?" which will carry off the piece.
From The Letters of Charles Dickens Vol. 1, 1833-1856 by Hogarth, Georgina
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.
