swallow

[ swol-oh ]

/ ˈswɒl oʊ /

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See synonyms for: swallow / swallowed / swallowing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to take into the stomach by drawing through the throat and esophagus with a voluntary muscular action, as food, drink, or other substances.

to take in so as to envelop; withdraw from sight; assimilate or absorb: He was swallowed by the crowd.

to accept without question or suspicion; believe; trust.

to accept without opposition; put up with: to swallow an insult.

to accept for lack of an alternative: Consumers will have to swallow new price hikes.

to suppress (emotion, a laugh, a sob, etc.) as if by drawing it down one's throat.

to take back; retract: to swallow one's words.

to enunciate poorly; mutter: He swallowed his words.

verb (used without object)

to perform the act of swallowing.

noun

the act or an instance of swallowing.

a quantity swallowed at one time; a mouthful: Take one swallow of brandy.

capacity for swallowing.

Also called crown, throat .Nautical, Machinery. the space in a block, between the groove of the sheave and the shell, through which the rope runs.

OTHER WORDS FOR swallow

1 eat, ingest, gulp, devour, down, drink, imbibe, quaff.

2 engulf, envelop, surround.

6 choke (back), hold in, pocket, repress, smother, stifle, strangle, submerge, suppress.

11 bite, morsel, nibble, taste, gulp, draft, sip.

See synonyms for swallow on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR swallow

1 egest, void.

3 disbelieve, discredit.

6 express, vent.

See antonyms for swallow on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of swallow

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb swolwen, swalwen, Old English swelgan; cognate with German schwelgen; akin to Old Norse svelgja; Middle English noun swolwe, swoluh, Old English geswelgh “throat, abyss, whirlpool”; akin to Middle Low German swelch, Old High German swelgo “glutton,” Old Norse svelgr “swirl, whirlpool; devourer”

OTHER WORDS FROM swallow

swal·low·a·ble, adjectiveswal·low·er, nounun·swal·low·a·ble, adjectiveun·swal·lowed, adjective

Words nearby swallow

swakara, swale, Swaledale, SWALK, swallet, swallow, swallow dive, swallow hole, swallow one's pride, swallow one's words, swallowtail

Other definitions for swallow (2 of 2)

swallow²

[ swol-oh ]

/ ˈswɒl oʊ /

noun

any of numerous small, long-winged passerine birds of the family Hirundinidae, noted for their swift, graceful flight and for the extent and regularity of their migrations.Compare bank swallow, barn swallow, martin.

any of several unrelated, swallowlike birds, as the chimney swift.

Origin of swallow

First recorded before 900; Middle English swal(e)we, Old English sweal(e)we; cognate with German Schwalbe, Old Norse svala

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use swallow in a sentence

For swallows and other birds that nest in holes and hollows, competition for nests can “be really ferocious,” Wiebe says.
Analyze This: Birds may decorate nests to scare off rivals|Carolyn Wilke|March 15, 2022|Science News For Students
The swallow reflex probably activates the muscle that pulls the plug up to the top of its throat, blocking the upper airways and letting prey slide into its digestive tract.
A ‘trapdoor’ made of muscle and fat helps fin whales eat without choking|Sharon Oosthoek|January 20, 2022|Science News
She hopes to figure out which birds are risky so that US farms can be more sustainable and safe for a kid snacking on an apple and the swallows swooping through the sky.
These bird species are most likely to contaminate our fruits and veggies|Nikita Amir|January 9, 2022|Popular-Science
This is a tedious process without a pot, but you can melt a few swallows at a time in a piece of tinfoil, a can or bottle discarded by a sloppy hiker.
How to survive three days in the wild|By Keith McCafferty/Field & Stream|January 26, 2021|Popular-Science

What was uncontestable — especially during a moment when most things felt like a tough swallow — was that it was a movement that seemed to go down remarkably easily.
Almost anarchy: The Style Council and the smooth sounds of sophisti-pop|Mina Tavakoli|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
For Randy, a 50-year-old ex-Mormon gay man, this cure was a particularly bitter pill to swallow.
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For the Times, which had won four Pulitzer Prizes in 2013, the Snowden slip-up was a bitter pill to swallow.
Is The Guardian Holding Back The New York Times’ Snowden Stories?|Lloyd Grove|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even more difficult to swallow: Perry likes to put his name in front of a lot of his projects.
Gone Girl’s Biggest Twist Is the Superb Tyler Perry|Alex Suskind|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's a hard pill to swallow not because the show isn't good.
The Biggest Emmys Snubs and Surprises: 'Modern Family,' McConaughey, and More|Kevin Fallon|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jordan is in an even more delicate position, and a country that ISIS would dearly like to swallow.
How a Real Air War Could Demolish ISIS|Clive Irving|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hunger had to be satisfied, however, and I had to swallow my pride and my five-pennyworth.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
In smoking, they swallow the fumes of the tobacco which causes intoxication for a time.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The birds that build them swallow a certain kind of glutinous weed growing on the coral rocks.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
Here was something for the "babes and sucklings" of the craft of violin making to swallow.
Antonio Stradivari|Horace William Petherick
I doa'nt swallow that story o' her'n. Depend upon it, man, it be a big lie fro' beginning to end.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie

British Dictionary definitions for swallow (1 of 2)

swallow¹

/ (ˈswɒləʊ) /

verb (mainly tr)

to pass (food, drink, etc) through the mouth to the stomach by means of the muscular action of the oesophagus

(often foll by up) to engulf or destroy as if by ingestionNazi Germany swallowed up several small countries

informal to believe gulliblyhe will never swallow such an excuse

to refrain from uttering or manifestingto swallow one's disappointment

to endure without retaliation

to enunciate (words, etc) indistinctly; mutter

(often foll by down) to eat or drink reluctantly

(intr) to perform or simulate the act of swallowing, as in gulping

swallow one's words to retract a statement, argument, etc, often in humiliating circumstances

noun

the act of swallowing

the amount swallowed at any single time; mouthful

Also called: crown, throat nautical the opening between the shell and the groove of the sheave of a block, through which the rope is passed

rare another word for throat, gullet

rare a capacity for swallowing; appetite

Derived forms of swallow

swallowable, adjectiveswallower, noun

Word Origin for swallow

Old English swelgan; related to Old Norse svelga, Old High German swelgan to swallow, Swedish svalg gullet

British Dictionary definitions for swallow (2 of 2)

swallow²

/ (ˈswɒləʊ) /

noun

any passerine songbird of the family Hirundinidae, esp Hirundo rustica (common or barn swallow), having long pointed wings, a forked tail, short legs, and a rapid flightRelated adjective: hirundine

See fairy swallow

Derived forms of swallow

swallow-like, adjective

Word Origin for swallow

Old English swealwe; related to Old Frisian swale, Old Norse svala, Old High German swalwa

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with swallow

swallow

In addition to the idioms beginning with swallow

swallow one's pride
swallow one's words

also see:

bitter pill to swallow

swallow

OTHER WORDS FOR swallow

OPPOSITES FOR swallow

Origin of swallow

OTHER WORDS FROM swallow

Words nearby swallow

Other definitions for swallow (2 of 2)

Origin of swallow

Words related to swallow

How to use swallow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for swallow (1 of 2)

Derived forms of swallow

Word Origin for swallow

British Dictionary definitions for swallow (2 of 2)

Derived forms of swallow

Word Origin for swallow

Other Idioms and Phrases with swallow