swallow
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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swallows,
present (3rd person singular)
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swallowed,
past participle, past
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swallowing
present participle
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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.
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to accept without question or suspicion; believe; trust.
- Antonyms:
- discredit, disbelieve
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to accept without opposition; put up with.
to swallow an insult.
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to accept for lack of an alternative.
Consumers will have to swallow new price hikes.
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to suppress (emotion, a laugh, a sob, etc.) as if by drawing it down one's throat.
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to take back; retract.
to swallow one's words.
-
to enunciate poorly; mutter.
He swallowed his words.
verb (used without object)
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swallows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swallowed,
past participle, past
-
swallowing
present participle
noun
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the act or an instance of swallowing.
-
a quantity swallowed at one time; a mouthful.
Take one swallow of brandy.
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capacity for swallowing.
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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
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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.
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any of several unrelated, swallowlike birds, as the chimney swift.
verb
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to pass (food, drink, etc) through the mouth to the stomach by means of the muscular action of the oesophagus
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(often foll by up) to engulf or destroy as if by ingestion
Nazi Germany swallowed up several small countries
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informal to believe gullibly
he will never swallow such an excuse
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to refrain from uttering or manifesting
to swallow one's disappointment
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to endure without retaliation
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to enunciate (words, etc) indistinctly; mutter
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(often foll by down) to eat or drink reluctantly
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(intr) to perform or simulate the act of swallowing, as in gulping
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to retract a statement, argument, etc, often in humiliating circumstances
noun
noun
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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
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See fairy swallow
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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swallowernoun
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swallow-likeadjective
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swallowableadjective
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unswallowableadjective
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unswallowedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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swallowsimple
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swallowssimple
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have swallowedperfect
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has swallowedperfect
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am swallowingprogressive
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are swallowingprogressive
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is swallowingprogressive
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have been swallowingperfect progressive
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has been swallowingperfect progressive
Past
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swallowedsimple
-
had swallowedperfect
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was swallowingprogressive
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were swallowingprogressive
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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
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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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:
Despite Bonta’s lawsuit, Nexstar hurried the next day to finalize its purchase of Virginia-based Tegna and swallow the operation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Many people can’t get through it. They can’t swallow well enough. They can’t talk well enough. They can’t hold the glass or mix the drink on their own.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
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
I swallow hard—my mind fills with second thoughts.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Smoke swallows civilization while sparks fall around the baroque column of the Fuente de los Luceros.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
When a mosquito takes a blood meal, it also swallows any viruses or parasites living in its host’s blood.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Or that swallows don’t come in the numbers they used to because they have fewer and fewer places to build nests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026
Every bit counts when health insurance swallows up so much of the budget.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
Axel swallows, tries to remember what it felt like to be brave enough to say the things he needed to say before.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
Jack had reached for a vol-au-vent, swallowed it whole in one bite, rinsed it down with a glass of champagne and seized center stage all in one action.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
They are also blocked by motorcycles, swallowed by parked cars, encroachments or excavated for utility works.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Experts have ruled out lead toxicity and swallowed objects, but a diagnosis remains elusive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 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
“And I have to go back, right now. But…” She swallowed.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
A 50-year-old father and his young sons were left "pale" and "exhausted after swallowing a lot of seawater" before being rescued, local government official Amorn Chomchoey told AFP.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Kim Varet said her supporters have “obviously put a lot of thought into” which of the incumbents to support, but they have had a hard time swallowing the idea of voting for either.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The laryngeal nerve also connects the brain and larynx, helping control speech and swallowing.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
Ms. Arno’s postwar chapters are strongest when they keep catastrophe from swallowing the rest of the life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
“Day off,” he muttered, swallowing a too-large sip of the coffee and scalding his tongue.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
