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
-
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
-
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
-
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.
See Examples For:
Jump in and your first reaction is the cold shock response, an involuntary gulp of up to a cubic foot of air.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 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
Or, like many enterprising DIYers, you could go to L.A.’s downtown Flower District, save some money and — gulp — do your flowers yourself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2024
I'm so hungry that I hardly chew as I gulp it down and ask for seconds.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
“When this floodplain floods up, there’s kind of like big gulps that happen,” Rentner said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 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
A slow walk after collecting his cap, hands placed on hips as he gulps in air, and he is able to switch between bowler and leader.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2023
Burnes took several big gulps of water and spoke to the training staff.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
The moment it fell onto our hands, it melted into shimmering puddles, which we licked in slurpy gulps.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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
When Farrell singled out Mack Hansen for praise after the Western Force game last weekend, Freeman might have gulped hard.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 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
We gulped the thin turnip water, marveling at our sudden riches.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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
Yes, gulping the liquid the night before was an ordeal — try drinking three liters of anything in three hours, going to sleep, then waking up six hours later for one final liter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
And the Gatorade you see players gulping on the sideline during games isn’t like the stuff you grab at 7-Eleven.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2024
The sensation is extremely unnatural and unpleasant, but I prefer sleeping with that discomfort over being so tired that I have to squeeze naps into my day like a dehydrated man gulping water.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2023
He exploded from the water, gulping great chestfuls of air.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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.
