gargle

[ gahr-guhl ]

See synonyms for gargle on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),gar·gled, gar·gling.

to wash or rinse the throat or mouth with a liquid held in the throat and kept in motion by a stream of air from the lungs.

verb (used with object),gar·gled, gar·gling.

to gargle (the throat or mouth).
to utter with a gargling sound.

noun

any liquid used for gargling.
a gargling sound.

Origin of gargle

1520–30; <Middle French gargouiller to gargle, rattle the throat, derivative of gargouille throat; perhaps imitative

Other words from gargle

gargler, noun

Words Nearby gargle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gargle in a sentence

In Kavala Graha, you use a smaller amount of oil, swish between the teeth, and gargle at the back of the throat.
Oil Pulling: Miracle Cure or Oily Mess? | DailyBurn | March 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Thousands of people are posting videos on YouTube while they gargle and swirl oil in their mouths.
Oil Pulling: Miracle Cure or Oily Mess? | DailyBurn | March 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Telling him he would send in a gargle and a cooling draught, and that he was to go to bed soon, Duffham rose to leave.
Johnny Ludlow, Fourth Series | Mrs. Henry Wood
Thus, under the similitude of a game, I have seen children confronted with the horrors of arithmetic, and even taught to gargle.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. XXII (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson
And at the first definite sign that either is developing, increase the frequency of the gargle.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science February 1930 | Various

Being non-poisonous, good for a gargle as well as for external use, it is superior to many other antiseptic washes.
Pluck on the Long Trail | Edwin L. Sabin
We always have to gargle with salt water, at home, when we have sore throats.
Linda Carlton's Island Adventure | Edith Lavell

British Dictionary definitions for gargle

gargle

/ (ˈɡɑːɡəl) /

verb

to rinse (the mouth and throat) with a liquid, esp a medicinal fluid by slowly breathing out through the liquid
to utter (words, sounds, etc) with the throaty bubbling noise of gargling

noun

the liquid used for gargling
the sound produced by gargling

British informal an alcoholic drink: what was her favourite gargle?

Origin of gargle

C16: from Old French gargouiller to gargle, make a gurgling sound, from gargouille throat, perhaps of imitative origin

Derived forms of gargle

gargler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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