swallow
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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swallows,
present (3rd person singular)
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swallowed,
past participle, past
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swallowing
present participle
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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.
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to accept without question or suspicion; believe; trust.
- Antonyms:
- discredit, disbelieve
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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.
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to take back; retract.
to swallow one's words.
-
to enunciate poorly; mutter.
He swallowed his words.
verb (used without object)
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swallows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swallowed,
past participle, past
-
swallowing
present participle
noun
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the act or an instance of swallowing.
-
a quantity swallowed at one time; a mouthful.
Take one swallow of brandy.
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capacity for swallowing.
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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.
noun
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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.
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any of several unrelated, swallowlike birds, as the chimney swift.
verb
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to pass (food, drink, etc) through the mouth to the stomach by means of the muscular action of the oesophagus
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(often foll by up) to engulf or destroy as if by ingestion
Nazi Germany swallowed up several small countries
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informal to believe gullibly
he will never swallow such an excuse
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to refrain from uttering or manifesting
to swallow one's disappointment
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to endure without retaliation
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to enunciate (words, etc) indistinctly; mutter
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(often foll by down) to eat or drink reluctantly
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(intr) to perform or simulate the act of swallowing, as in gulping
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to retract a statement, argument, etc, often in humiliating circumstances
noun
noun
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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 flight
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See fairy swallow
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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swallowernoun
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swallow-likeadjective
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swallowableadjective
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unswallowableadjective
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unswallowedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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swallowsimple
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swallowssimple
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have swallowedperfect
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has swallowedperfect
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am swallowingprogressive
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are swallowingprogressive
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is swallowingprogressive
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have been swallowingperfect progressive
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has been swallowingperfect progressive
Past
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swallowedsimple
-
had swallowedperfect
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was swallowingprogressive
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were swallowingprogressive
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had been swallowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of swallow1
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”
Origin of swallow2
First recorded before 900; Middle English swal(e)we, Old English sweal(e)we; cognate with German Schwalbe, Old Norse svala
Explanation
When you swallow food or liquid is pushed from your mouth to the esophagus. Chew your food well before you swallow it. As a verb, swallow means "to enclose or envelop completely," like quicksand that swallows everything that falls into it. Swallow can also mean "to stop from expressing," like when you swallow your pride and ask for help. The noun swallow describes a gulp, though you don't always do it for digestion; sometimes a few swallows of air help you keep from crying. A swallow is also a type of small songbird.
Vocabulary lists containing swallow
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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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:
At a press conference on Wednesday, Pike's lawyers said she was shackled to the bed and suffering from pneumonia, significant swelling on her arms, and was unable to swallow.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Ultimately, for our household, we decided the cost was worth the peace of mind even if it was a bit hard to swallow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
The lack of pay increases are a tough pill to swallow for many Americans, especially lower- and middle-income households struggling with higher energy and living costs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
"When a black hole tears apart a star, it does not swallow everything neatly," Goodwin stated.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
He had learned to swallow some of his own medicine, and I was working toward being a warrior.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
In “Rare Bird” a woman in 18th-century England finds pleasure in the company of a new friend, who helps her test a claim from the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus that swallows hibernate underwater.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"In most of those cases, what happens is the supermarket swallows those losses. And that impacts their margins," she says.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
"Simply put, it swallows up matter and influences how stars in nearby galaxies grow."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 30, 2026
As Big Tech swallows the world, the long-standing narrative about the future of streaming goes something like this:
From Slate ● Dec. 6, 2025
“We would make terrib—” Elizabeth hiccups, then swallows.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
How brutally ironic that “Digger” is Warner Bros.’ last film before being swallowed by Paramount–Skydance.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
You feel bad for the children involved, unless they’ve swallowed their own PR.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Evenings can be swallowed up by a smorgasbord of networking soirees across town, especially in September when eurocrats and lobbyists alike land back from summer break.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Combined with other observations, including its exceptionally high temperature, the measurements led the researchers to conclude that they were witnessing a star being ripped apart and swallowed by a black hole.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
When they were all very still, Leah took a deep breath and swallowed.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
In that sense, blindly swallowing AI’s positive hype can be as dangerous as its alleged existential risks.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
The condition can be painful and make swallowing difficult, and it can cause chest pain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Because every merger is essentially one company swallowing the other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Traffic cones are set back from the crater, which appears to be perilously close to swallowing the house's double garage.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
The dining room contained Elvira Caruthers, a wayward daughter who cared more about gossip than chewing her food before swallowing and who had died before she could create her own branch of the family line.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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.
