swallow

[ swol-oh ]

/ ˈswɒl oʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR swallow 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.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of swallow

before 1000; (v.) Middle English swalwen, variant of swelwen, Old English swelgan; cognate with German schwelgen; akin to Old Norse svelgja; (noun) Middle English swalwe, swolgh throat, abyss, whirlpool, Old English geswelgh (see y-); akin to Middle Low German swelch, Old High German swelgo glutton, Old Norse svelgr whirlpool, devourer

SYNONYMS FOR swallow

1 eat, gulp, drink.

2 engulf, devour.

10 gulp, draught, drink.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR swallow ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Definition for swallow (2 of 2)

swallow

[ 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

before 900; Middle English swalwe, Old English swealwe; cognate with German Schwalbe, Old Norse svala

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for swallow

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

Katy Perry as a squeamish conservative is a little hard to swallow.
Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus Kiss, Break Up, Make Up|Amy Zimmerman|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A connoisseur (again on reference behind the curtains) was one of those wealthy men who could swallow anything.
Bud|Neil Munro
With solid or crisp food there may be a good deal of hesitation and fumbling before he sets himself to masticate and swallow.
The Nervous Child|Hector Charles Cameron
The dodge, as the Tumbler said, was to make them swallow the affair under the guise of patriotism.
His Excellency the Minister|Jules Claretie
As the swallow flew near him, he seized him by the tail and tore away a little of it.
The Book of Nature Myths|Florence Holbrook
In the case of the former we swallow the animal, scarcely thinking of its animal nature.
The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier

British Dictionary definitions for swallow (1 of 2)

swallow

/ (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 Formsswallowable, 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)

swallow

/ (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 Formsswallow-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

Word Origin and History for swallow (1 of 2)

swallow

"take in through the throat," Old English swelgan (class III strong verb; past tense swealg, past participle swolgen), from Proto-Germanic *swelkh-/*swelg- (cf. Old Saxon farswelgan, Old Norse svelgja "to swallow," Middle Dutch swelghen, Dutch zwelgen "to gulp, swallow," Old High German swelahan "to swallow," German schwelgen "to revel"), probably from PIE base *swel- (1) "to eat, drink." Cognate with Old Norse svelgr "whirlpool," literally "devourer, swallower." Sense of "consume, destroy" is attested from mid-14c. Meaning "to accept without question" is from 1590s. Related: Swallowed; swallowing. The noun meaning "an act of swallowing" is recorded from 1822.

Word Origin and History for swallow (1 of 2)

swallow

migratory bird (family Hirundinidae), Old English swealwe, from Proto-Germanic *swalwon (cf. Old Saxon, Old Norse, Old Frisian, Swedish svala, Danish svale, Middle Dutch zwalewe, Dutch zwaluw, Old High German swalawa, German Schwalbe), from PIE *swol-wi- (cf. Russian solowej, Slovak slavik, Polish słowik "nightinggale"). The etymological sense is disputed. Popularly regarded as a harbinger of summer; swallows building nests on or near a house is considered good luck.

Medicine definitions for swallow

swallow

[ swŏl′ō ]

v.

To pass something, as food or drink, through the mouth and throat into the stomach.

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

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of swallow

Definition for swallow (2 of 2)

swallow

noun

Origin of swallow

Examples from the Web for swallow

British Dictionary definitions for swallow (1 of 2)

swallow

verb (mainly tr)

noun

Word Origin for swallow

British Dictionary definitions for swallow (2 of 2)

swallow

noun

Word Origin for swallow

Word Origin and History for swallow (1 of 2)

swallow

Word Origin and History for swallow (1 of 2)

swallow

Medicine definitions for swallow

swallow

v.

Idioms and Phrases with swallow

swallow