gulp
Americanverb (used without object)
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gulps,
present (3rd person singular)
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gulped,
past participle, past
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gulping
present participle
verb (used with object)
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gulps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gulped,
past participle, past
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gulping
present participle
noun
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gulps
plural
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the act of gulping.
He drank the whole bottle of beer in one gulp.
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the amount swallowed at one time; mouthful.
verb
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to swallow rapidly, esp in large mouthfuls
to gulp down food
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to stifle or choke
to gulp back sobs
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(intr) to swallow air convulsively, as while drinking, because of nervousness, surprise, etc
-
(intr) to make a noise, as when swallowing too quickly
noun
-
the act of gulping
-
the quantity taken in a gulp
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gulpsimple
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gulpssimple
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have gulpedperfect
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has gulpedperfect
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am gulpingprogressive
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are gulpingprogressive
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is gulpingprogressive
-
have been gulpingperfect progressive
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has been gulpingperfect progressive
Past
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gulpedsimple
-
had gulpedperfect
-
was gulpingprogressive
-
were gulpingprogressive
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had been gulpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gulp
1400–50; late Middle English gulpen (v.); compare Dutch gulpen, Norwegian glupa
Explanation
To gulp is to loudly and quickly swallow food, drink, or air. You might gulp nervously before you stand up to make a speech. When you gulp down your breakfast so you can run and catch your bus, or gulp air upon rising to the surface of a swimming pool, you can say you take a gulp — or many gulps. The word dates from the 1300s, but its origin is somewhat uncertain. Most experts link it to the imitative Dutch gulpen, "to gush, guzzle, or swallow."
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.
See Examples For:
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
Again, it's not just the losses that might be making some Celtic fans gulp.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025
The first season ended in April and dropped weekly, but waiting to gulp down episodes in a couple of sittings may be more rewarding than taking it in over a couple of months.
From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2025
Instead, something like this could happen: Maybe a raw milk drinker will gulp down some bird flu virus.
From Slate ● Dec. 4, 2024
Then she heard a gulp as if George was swallowing.
From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene
Again, don't hold your breath – the company has been losing money hand over fist, the blast furnaces are nearing the end of their useful life, and the cost of energy it gulps is enormous.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2025
They took gulps of water simultaneously, as the moderators began.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2024
That’s the good news about the book — it’s well-crafted and often quite funny in a cringey way, easy to down in big gulps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
With bottles and glasses lined up before them, judges from several countries sampled various brands, swishing gulps of water and sometimes spitting mouthfuls into canisters, as wine tasters do.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
She gulps down another vial of Belle-rose elixir.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Everybody who preached patience in the new era gulped hard.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Trout, their speckled flanks gleaming in the sun, gulped them down one by one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
“The money question remains as to how many barrels vacated by India will be gulped up by the Chinese teapots,” Raj said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025
And when a Labrador retriever owned by another company officer gulped down a bagel impaled with a toothpick, he said, most of the resulting $10,5000 surgical bill was covered as well.
From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2024
But Emma just gulped and held on to the chair even tighter.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Bass frequently resorted to her trademark nervous laughter and repeated obviously crafted lines with all the enthusiasm of someone gulping down cod oil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Nearby, crowds huddled in thin strips of shade outside pavilions, gulping free bottles of water that workers were distributing throughout the event.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
It’s the stuff of popcorn binging and soda gulping, a classic summertime treat.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2024
Herrera, gulping back tears, said he was a friend of her son.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 21, 2023
The last time I saw them, at the funeral, I had broken down and cried big gulping sobs.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
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.
