Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

swizzle

American  
[swiz-uhl] / ˈswɪz əl /

noun

  1. 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)

swizzled, swizzling
  1. to agitate (a beverage) with a swizzle stick.

  2. to gulp down; guzzle.

swizzle British  
/ ˈswɪzəl /

noun

  1. an unshaken cocktail

  2. an alcoholic drink containing gin or rum

  3. informal a swiz

"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

verb

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

  2. informal to swindle; cheat

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of swizzle

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

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:

He made me an engagement ring out of a plastic swizzle stick a few nights later at a sushi bar.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 27, 2024

Also included are a champagne swizzle stick and a metal-mounted foliate cocktail stick holder.

From BBC Nov. 20, 2023

Mr. Kanbar held some three dozen patents, including one for a swizzle stick that converts to a pair of magnifying glasses.

From New York Times Sep. 30, 2022

For the ultimate presentation, add a cinnamon swizzle stick.

From Seattle Times Jan. 15, 2022

Then she cleared everything—compact, billfold, laundry bill, toothbrush, a tin of aspirins, and a gold-plated swizzle stick—back into her handbag.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

She propped the flour bag on the boards, squeezing it gently between her short cherry-red nails, and asked if I had any questions, while I swizzled back-and-forth slowly.

From Salon Dec. 26, 2020

Correia says the Swizzle Inn’s version is the original, but wherever it first swizzled into existence, the drink has taken on a life of its own.

From Washington Post Aug. 14, 2020

"Well, I'll be swizzled," said one of them, excitedly, "who made the bridge?"

From William Adolphus Turnpike by William Banks

He swizzled the ice around in his glass, still holding it up to the light.

From Unwise Child by Randall Garrett

The tall narrow pots had a hole in the lid for splash-free swizzling.

From BBC Dec. 10, 2023

In the meantime, I’ll be here with the rest of you, worrying and swizzling in place.

From Washington Post Aug. 14, 2020

I tell the bow-tied bartender, who nods and gets right to swizzling and shaking, his brows knit tight in concentration.

From Washington Post Jun. 2, 2016

At restaurants just inside the French border they could be seen swizzling champagne, ordering such delicacies as speckled trout, fresh asparagus, vieux cognac.

From Time Magazine Archive

He came to the door presently and shouted to the two men to come in, and pointed out to them—as he had pointed out every evening since they had arrived—his own skill in swizzling.

From Peter and Jane or The Missing Heir by S. (Sarah) Macnaughtan

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training