gulp
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the act of gulping.
He drank the whole bottle of beer in one gulp.
-
the amount swallowed at one time; mouthful.
verb
-
to swallow rapidly, esp in large mouthfuls
to gulp down food
-
to stifle or choke
to gulp back sobs
-
(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
-
gulpsimple
-
gulpssimple
-
have gulpedperfect
-
has gulpedperfect
-
am gulpingprogressive
-
are gulpingprogressive
-
is gulpingprogressive
-
have been gulpingperfect progressive
-
has been gulpingperfect progressive
Past
-
gulpedsimple
-
had gulpedperfect
-
was gulpingprogressive
-
were gulpingprogressive
-
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.
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
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
"I did see him surface and I think he took a gulp, and then I thought I saw him being thrown in the air," she said.
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2024
He goes to his desk and takes a gulp from he travel coffee mug sitting there.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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.
