swizzle

[ swiz-uhl ]

/ ˈswɪz əl /

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noun

a tall drink, originating in Barbados, composed of full-flavored West Indian rum, lime juice, crushed ice, and sugar: typically served with a swizzle stick.

verb (used with object), swiz·zled, swiz·zling.

to agitate (a beverage) with a swizzle stick.

to gulp down; guzzle.

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Origin of swizzle

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM swizzle

swizzler, noun

Words nearby swizzle

swivel pin, swiveltree, swivel weaving, swivet, swiz, swizzle, swizzle stick, swob, swoffing, swole, swollen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use swizzle in a sentence

This was followed by a reproduction of the gin-and-water jars, and a round of the immortal swizzle.
Byron|Richard Edgcumbe
McGlade slowly and deliberately drank the last of his swizzle.
The Shadow|Arthur Stringer
Swizzle withdrew the auger hurriedly; from its point a few bright red drops trickled.
The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales|Bret Harte
Not fizz at all, but that old brewing of honey—mead—metheglin—old Saxon swizzle.
Sir Hilton's Sin|George Manville Fenn

At the worst of the storm there is neither Heaven nor Earth, but only a swizzle into which a man may be brewed.
Letters of Travel (1892-1913)|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for swizzle

swizzle

/ (ˈswɪzəl) /

noun

US an unshaken cocktail

an alcoholic drink containing gin or rum

British informal a swiz

verb

(tr) to stir a swizzle stick in (a drink)

British informal to swindle; cheat

Word Origin for swizzle

C19: of unknown origin

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