slurp
Americanverb (used with object)
-
slurps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slurped,
past participle, past
-
slurping
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
slurps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slurped,
past participle, past
-
slurping
present participle
noun
-
slurps
plural
-
an intake of food or drink with a noisy sucking sound.
He finished his milk in about three slurps.
-
any lapping or splashing sound.
the slurp of the waves against the hull.
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
slurpsimple
-
slurpssimple
-
have slurpedperfect
-
has slurpedperfect
-
am slurpingprogressive
-
are slurpingprogressive
-
is slurpingprogressive
-
have been slurpingperfect progressive
-
has been slurpingperfect progressive
Past
-
slurpedsimple
-
had slurpedperfect
-
was slurpingprogressive
-
were slurpingprogressive
-
had been slurpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slurp
First recorded in 1640–50, slurp is from the Dutch word slurpen (v.)
Explanation
If you suck your food noisily into your mouth, you slurp it. In Japan, it's considered good manners to slurp your noodles. Don't try that in England! There are some foods and drinks that you'll almost inevitably slurp, like hot soup and thick, cold milkshakes. Although fastidious eaters in the US might consider it bad form to slurp the foam off your cappuccino or slurp up the last few ramen noodles from your bowl, in some cultures it shows appreciation for your food. Slurp comes from the imitative Dutch word slurpen.
Vocabulary lists containing slurp
"On the Menu" and "Find the Adaptations"
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!
Shiloh
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!
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:
Before one last slurp on an orange soda, BBC Newsbeat looks back at some of the talk show's most iconic moments.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
You can slurp your way along the Damariscotta at any time of year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
The waiter explained how to eat them — pinch the top, slurp carefully — which is perfect for first-timers.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2025
Like our babies, maggots can’t chew, so they vomit digestive enzymes onto the wound, dissolving the now-loosened tissue into a tasty slurry, which they can slurp up.
From Slate ● Feb. 25, 2024
Taking a big slurp of lemonade, I changed the subject.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Plants are green because such wavelengths of light help it keep a consistent vacuum on the electromagnetic energy it slurps from the sun.
From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2024
Brian Robb, the overnight race leader, slurps his way through 57 yoghurt tubes, the sort more commonly seen in a child’s lunchbox.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024
Steven, what did you have in mind when you wrote that French cafe scene where Von Rumpel slurps oysters while tormenting the poor waiter?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
Seated on plastic chairs next to a street food stand tucked in an alleyway, the 47-year-old Haitian slurps orange-colored soup out of a metal bowl next to his 9-year-old son.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 5, 2023
I see them go invisible as they enter Inkling’s mouth, a string of cheese hanging in midair before he slurps it up.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
They slurped the cafe’s signature lavashak smoothie — a tart mixture including peaches, various berries and pomegranate molasses — and munched on slow-cooked lamb over nachos with melty Armenian string cheese.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Men and women from their 20s to their 70s slurped hakka noodles and sipped pinot grigio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
This drives the mass into the black hole at an even faster rate, strengthening the gravitational pull as the gas is continuously slurped into the black hole's center.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2024
Latex floating on the top of the remaining liquid is slurped up with a pipette and rinsed up to three times for purification, and then dried.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 23, 2024
Genie leaned over and slurped from the top—it was so full he knew he’d spill some of it if he tried to pick it up.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
Tasting the coffee properly requires slurping it with gusto, hence the music to mask the sounds of dozens of people slurping and spitting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
For the 23-year-old Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people, chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2025
While slurping, the insect excretes a substance that weakens the tree's defenses and causes damage that impedes the flow of nutrients between root and crown, he said.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2024
Perhaps we in the press were still hungover after celebrating ourselves by schmoozing with celebrities and slurping up to politicians at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before.
From Salon ● May 2, 2024
Not with Loo shouting and slurping and smacking his plate on the table.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
