guzzle
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
guzzlesimple
-
guzzlessimple
-
have guzzledperfect
-
has guzzledperfect
-
am guzzlingprogressive
-
are guzzlingprogressive
-
is guzzlingprogressive
-
have been guzzlingperfect progressive
-
has been guzzlingperfect progressive
Past
-
guzzledsimple
-
had guzzledperfect
-
was guzzlingprogressive
-
were guzzlingprogressive
-
had been guzzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of guzzle
First recorded in 1570–80; origin uncertain
Explanation
To guzzle is to gulp down a liquid very quickly. After running a marathon, you might be tempted to guzzle Gatorade, but it's important to sip slowly so you don't get sick. If your brother somehow manages to drink an entire gallon of milk in two days, he guzzles it. And, if your big old car needs to be refueled several times a week, you can say it guzzles gas. Experts guess that the root of guzzle is the Old French word gosillier, which means "to go down the gullet," but also "to vomit."
Vocabulary lists containing guzzle
The BFG
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Losers Club
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Swap out your air filter: A clogged filter chokes airflow, forcing your AC to guzzle more power to do the same job.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
Data centres could guzzle 9.32 trillion litres of water by 2030, enough to meet the annual basic water needs of the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa, the report said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
He has started searching out lighter hauls and avoiding hilly routes that guzzle fuel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
But: With osteoporosis the clear nemesis in all of this, it’s time to guzzle milk and inhale other calcium-rich food to shore up my bones, right?
From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2025
Even the word "milk," which I think probably sounds like what milk sounds like when you guzzle it.
From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds
Lucy Matthews drives a 1994 Jeep Wrangler that doesn’t have air conditioning, roars as loud as a tractor and absolutely guzzles gasoline.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Millions of tourists a year flock to the region, affecting the entire underground as the industry guzzles water and sewage seeps through the earth and into the caves, killing fish and other wildlife.
From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2024
In the two-minute video, Paddington guzzles tea in front of the queen, before offering a spare marmalade sandwich to make up for his poor table manners.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 20, 2022
The Abrams typically weighs nearly 80 tons, and it has a gas-turbine engine that infamously guzzles fuel and would create an even greater logistical burden on Ukrainian forces, the U.S. official said.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2022
She laughs hard when Noah burps after he guzzles chocolate milk.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
Mountain Valley’s green glass bottles, guzzled by Jay-Z and Gwyneth Paltrow, were for moguls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
While he munched and guzzled on donuts, fried chicken and glasses of wine through the first film, now he’s drinking espresso and enjoying “croy-sants” and gelato in Europe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
Two dogs helped prevent Tonni, a tiny loggerhead sea turtle, from being guzzled by gulls on Moel y Don beach on Anglesey on Thursday.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2023
She put her own struggles into these books, and her characters guzzled in ways she could no longer allow herself, or, in the case of Louis, acted as sponsor in her own recovery.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2022
As we pulled out of the gas station, Delia put on a bright, happy smile on her face and waved good-bye to the couple as Juanita guzzled down her soda enthusiastically.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Along steep and narrow trails, a few rustic taverns for wine guzzling seem incongruous in the midst of all of the ruggedness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
“Indeed, neither the Gulf war nor Russia-Ukraine could stop oil barrels guzzling out.”
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026
In Los Angeles, there are many characteristically creative options to help stave off the existential despair, such as self-tapping workshops, guzzling cold-pressed juices and special taco deals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2024
The ruling disrupted fertility treatments that are expensive, physically and emotionally taxing, and extremely time-sensitive, guzzling precious resources that many couples did not have.
From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
He had been too busy guzzling candied chestnuts to let it bother him.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
