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
-
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.
-
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)
-
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
-
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
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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
-
have been swallowingperfect progressive
-
has been swallowingperfect progressive
Past
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swallowedsimple
-
had swallowedperfect
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was swallowingprogressive
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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
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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:
And once you swallow that bitter truth, it’ll be much easier to take a sharper eye to their content, which seems endless.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
But one foreign attendee voiced concerns, telling AFP in English: "I am really hoping Rwanda is not chewing what it cannot swallow."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
This anatomical development helped make it possible to swallow while maintaining the ability to breathe, an essential adaptation for mammals that nurse their young.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
“As much as I have to throw up in my mouth a little bit and swallow that…I have to say that yes, I want us to be able to have a voice,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
I swallow the lump that forms in my throat.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
In “Rare Bird” a woman in 18th-century England finds pleasure in the company of a new friend, who helps her test a claim from the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus that swallows hibernate underwater.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Smoke swallows civilization while sparks fall around the baroque column of the Fuente de los Luceros.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
"In most of those cases, what happens is the supermarket swallows those losses. And that impacts their margins," she says.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
"Simply put, it swallows up matter and influences how stars in nearby galaxies grow."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 30, 2026
Mama swallows and says, “They also said you found Quinton?”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
The papers asks whether the pre-Halloween announcement is a "trick or treat" before suggesting the discount "will be swallowed up by rising prices".
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
After the 25-foot-deep hole swallowed Cage’s driveway, the city of Malibu red-tagged 31 homes on the street, forcing evacuations since the damage blocks the only route in and out of the beach side neighborhood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Learn about whale biology: If you’ve seen or heard of the movie Whalefall, in which a scuba diver is swallowed by a whale, you have probably wondered whether the premise is at all plausible.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
How brutally ironic that “Digger” is Warner Bros.’ last film before being swallowed by Paramount–Skydance.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
His stomach was empty, but it was churning, too, from fear and the bitter water he had swallowed in the black pool.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
They swished each drink around their mouths several times before swallowing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
The dolphin arrived with "serious vision problems" and other health issues, it said, and "began having difficulties swallowing and respiratory problems" in the hours before she died.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
In that sense, blindly swallowing AI’s positive hype can be as dangerous as its alleged existential risks.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
Because every merger is essentially one company swallowing the other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
I’m shaking my head, swallowing down all the dryness while trying to catch my breath all at the same time.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
