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gargle

[ gahr-guhl ]
/ ˈgɑr gəl /
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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.
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gargle in a sentence

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 drinkwhat was her favourite gargle?

Derived forms of gargle

gargler, noun

Word Origin for gargle

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