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Synonyms

gulp

American  
[guhlp] / gʌlp /

verb (used without object)

  1. to gasp or choke, as when taking large drafts of a liquid.

verb (used with object)

  1. to swallow eagerly, or in large drafts or morsels (often followed bydown ).

    He gulps down his food like a starving man.
    Synonyms:
    guzzle, devour, bolt, quaff, gobble, wolf

  2. to suppress, subdue, or choke back as if by swallowing.

    to gulp down a sob.

noun

  1. the act of gulping.

    He drank the whole bottle of beer in one gulp.

  2. the amount swallowed at one time; mouthful.

gulp British  
/ ɡʌlp /

verb

  1. to swallow rapidly, esp in large mouthfuls

    to gulp down food

  2. to stifle or choke

    to gulp back sobs

  3. (intr) to swallow air convulsively, as while drinking, because of nervousness, surprise, etc

  4. (intr) to make a noise, as when swallowing too quickly

"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

noun

  1. the act of gulping

  2. the quantity taken in a gulp

"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

Other Word Forms

  • gulper noun
  • gulpingly adverb
  • gulpy adjective

Etymology

Origin of gulp

1400–50; late Middle English gulpen (v.); compare Dutch gulpen, Norwegian glupa

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.

Elon Musk took a gulp of water on stage at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month and started talking up one of his latest passions: data centers orbiting Earth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Runcie, a former arts columnist for the Daily Telegraph, has created something so delightfully snackable that you may, as I did, gulp it down in two or three sittings.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2025

These were all shows whose writers knew how to keep viewers on the hook by giving them small tastes of the biggest secrets, with the occasional gulp of a major reveal.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2025

Instead, something like this could happen: Maybe a raw milk drinker will gulp down some bird flu virus.

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2024

The cousin reemerged at the surface and took a big gulp of air.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

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.