swallow
1 Americanverb (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.
- Antonyms:
- discredit, disbelieve
-
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)
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.
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.
-
any of several unrelated, swallowlike birds, as the chimney swift.
verb
-
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 ingestion
Nazi Germany swallowed up several small countries
-
informal to believe gullibly
he will never swallow such an excuse
-
to refrain from uttering or manifesting
to 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
-
to retract a statement, argument, etc, often in humiliating circumstances
noun
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 flight
-
See fairy swallow
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
swallowernoun
-
swallow-likeadjective
-
swallowableadjective
-
unswallowableadjective
-
unswallowedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
swallowsimple
-
swallowssimple
-
have swallowedperfect
-
has swallowedperfect
-
am swallowingprogressive
-
are swallowingprogressive
-
is swallowingprogressive
-
have been swallowingperfect progressive
-
has been swallowingperfect progressive
Past
-
swallowedsimple
-
had swallowedperfect
-
was swallowingprogressive
-
were swallowingprogressive
-
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
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!
The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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!
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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:
It’s a lot to swallow, so why not cut to the sea chase?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The price also comes amid a broader pattern of device manufacturers hiking prices up - not down - to swallow rising memory and storage costs.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
If you are not careful, it will swallow you whole.
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
A colony of macaques that gorge on snacks offered by tourists in the British territory of Gibraltar swallow soil to recover from their junk food binges, a study has found.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
I swallow my laugh, knowing very well what he means.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Four-year-old Juni Wahab was entranced by the sight of the swallows and cormorants swooping low overhead and the rushing twists of water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Every bit counts when health insurance swallows up so much of the budget.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
"Simply put, it swallows up matter and influences how stars in nearby galaxies grow."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 30, 2026
"I thought I would find some clue to unpack this. It's a small island, but it swallows you up."
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2026
From eleven to twelve he planned to stand still and watch flies on the boards, watch bees in the clover, and watch swallows in the air.
From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
So far, the raptor center says it has ruled out lead poisoning and the presence of swallowed objects, among other things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
“It’s like this that humanism itself gets swallowed up by nihilism,” he adds, concretizing that image in his movie with many scenes of environmental degradation realized as crawling blobs of death.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Many stars are poor candidates because chemical signatures from swallowed planets can fade or become difficult to distinguish.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026
He tried calling the neighbor he had last seen before being swallowed by the earth, "but nothing."
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
“My dad said—” Chip choked, swallowed hard, tried again, “—my dad said I didn’t need to know anything else. He said he never wanted to talk about this again.”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Side effects caused difficulty in motor control and swallowing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The laryngeal nerve also connects the brain and larynx, helping control speech and swallowing.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
I have to make sure they're not choking... because this disease has affected their muscles with their swallowing.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
He thinks both were overlooked brands that made them more attainable for the Chinese companies, as opposed to swallowing a bigger U.S. consumer company.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
“Chewing and swallowing can be a mechanical process. And the whatnot designers—they created androids that look like they are eating and swallowing and digesting food like a normal human child.”
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
