gargle

American  

[gahr-guhl] / ˈgɑr gəl /

verb (used without object)

gargled, gargling

1. 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.

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verb (used with object)

gargled, gargling

1. to gargle (the throat or mouth).

2. to utter with a gargling sound.

noun

1. any liquid used for gargling.

2. a gargling sound.

gargle British  

/ ˈɡɑːɡəl /

verb

1. to rinse (the mouth and throat) with a liquid, esp a medicinal fluid by slowly breathing out through the liquid

2. to utter (words, sounds, etc) with the throaty bubbling noise of gargling

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noun

1. the liquid used for gargling

2. the sound produced by gargling

3. informal an alcoholic drink

   what was her favourite gargle?

Other Word Forms

• gargler
  noun

Etymology

Origin of gargle

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

Explanation

When you gargle, you swish mouthwash or another liquid around your mouth and at the back of your throat. After having a tooth pulled, you might be instructed to gargle with saltwater. If you gargle with mouthwash, moving the minty liquid around your mouth and then spitting it out, you'll have fresh breath. Many people make a gurgling sound when they gargle. The word comes from the Middle French gargouiller, "to gurgle or bubble," which stems from the Old French gargole, meaning both "throat" and "waterspout," rooted in the Latin word for "throat," gula.

Example Sentences

During the pandemic, Jones sold products like "Nano Silver" toothpaste and "Superblue Silver Immune Gargle" via his Infowars store, claiming they would fight COVID-19.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2022

Prominent among these, apparently, were Jones’s own “wellness” products: SuperSilver Whitening Toothpaste and ABL Nano Silver Gargle which, he claimed, “kills the sars-corona family at point-blank range”.

From The Guardian • Apr. 26, 2020

The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” calls for, among other things, “Fallian marsh gas” and “the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger.”

From New York Times • Nov. 19, 2015

When I reached the bar, I ordered a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster from the female Klingon bartender and downed half of it.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Gargle the throat night and morning with salt and water, or vinegar and water, to strengthen it.

From The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 354, October 9, 1886 by Peters, Charles