gobble

¹ American  

[gob-uhl] / ˈgɒb əl /

verb (used with object)

gobbled, gobbling

1. to swallow or eat hastily or hungrily in large pieces; gulp.

   Synonyms:

   devour, bolt

2. to seize upon eagerly (often followed byup ).

   After being gone for so long, they gobbled up all the local news.

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verb (used without object)

gobbled, gobbling

1. to eat hastily.

gobble ² American  

[gob-uhl] / ˈgɒb əl /

verb (used without object)

gobbled, gobbling

1. to make the characteristic throaty cry of a male turkey.

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noun

1. the cry itself.

gobble ¹ British  

/ ˈɡɒbəl /

noun

1. the loud rapid gurgling sound made by male turkeys

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interjection

1. an imitation of this sound

verb

1. (intr) (of a turkey) to make this sound

gobble ² British  

/ ˈɡɒbəl /

verb

1. to eat or swallow (food) hastily and in large mouthfuls

2. informal to snatch

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Etymology

Origin of gobble¹

1595–1605; probably imitative; gob ¹, -le

Origin of gobble²

First recorded in 1670–80; variant of gabble

Example Sentences

But I think that people read that as he wants to gobble up every pie he sees.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Every year, healthcare expenses gobble up a growing portion of Social Security benefits.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Predators destroy an estimated 25 million birds, chicks, and eggs a year, while 30 million possums gobble up 21,000 tons of vegetation a night, depleting the food supply for native animals.

From Slate • Aug. 8, 2025

Quasars are supermassive black holes that actively gobble up matter like gas and dust from their surroundings.

From Space Scoop • Jul. 4, 2025

At the old train station on Friday, a swelling gobble of noise had come from the crates.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli

Related Words

• devour
• gulp
• guzzle
• swallow