swig

American  

[swig] / swɪg /

noun

1. an amount of liquid, especially liquor, taken in one swallow; draught.

   He took a swig from the flask.

---

verb (used with or without object)

swigged, swigging

1. to drink heartily or greedily.

swig British  

/ swɪɡ /

noun

1. a large swallow or deep drink, esp from a bottle

---

verb

1. to drink (some liquid) deeply, esp from a bottle

Other Word Forms

• swigger noun

Etymology

Origin of swig

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

Explanation

A swig is a big, fast gulp, like the swig you take from your water bottle after hiking up a hill on a hot summer day. If your dainty friend is delicately sipping her iced tea while you swig yours, you'll definitely be finished first. To swig is to take a big, healthy slurp of a drink. Originally this informal word was associated with alcoholic beverages, but today you can use it for anything you're drinking with gusto. Experts aren't sure where swig comes from, but some guess it's connected to the Old English swelgan, "to swallow."

Example Sentences

On cue, the camera cut to Rhea Perlman passing her silver flagon to Lisa Ann Walter, who took a swig.

From Salon • Feb. 25, 2024

Thomson went to take a swig out of his bottle of bubbly and - doink!

From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2023

That’s probably because their real-life analogues hardly ever drink in commercials, either; it’s a convention of alcohol ads to show good times without explicitly depicting anyone taking a swig.

From New York Times • Jun. 27, 2023

Haring popped a funk tape into his boombox, took a swig of mineral water and made his first fuchsia brush stroke on an unmarked wood panel, no pencil sketches to guide his way.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2023

She herself felt fine after a swig of nectar and some water, but she was still worried about the boys.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• gulp
• guzzle