guzzle
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
guzzles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
guzzled,
past participle, past
-
guzzling
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
guzzlesimple
-
guzzlessimple
-
have guzzledperfect
-
has guzzledperfect
-
am guzzlingprogressive
-
are guzzlingprogressive
-
is guzzlingprogressive
-
have been guzzlingperfect progressive
-
has been guzzlingperfect progressive
Past
-
guzzledsimple
-
had guzzledperfect
-
was guzzlingprogressive
-
were guzzlingprogressive
-
had been guzzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of guzzle
First recorded in 1570–80; origin uncertain
Explanation
To guzzle is to gulp down a liquid very quickly. After running a marathon, you might be tempted to guzzle Gatorade, but it's important to sip slowly so you don't get sick. If your brother somehow manages to drink an entire gallon of milk in two days, he guzzles it. And, if your big old car needs to be refueled several times a week, you can say it guzzles gas. Experts guess that the root of guzzle is the Old French word gosillier, which means "to go down the gullet," but also "to vomit."
Vocabulary lists containing guzzle
The BFG
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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The Losers Club
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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:
Swap out your air filter: A clogged filter chokes airflow, forcing your AC to guzzle more power to do the same job.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
Data centres could guzzle 9.32 trillion litres of water by 2030, enough to meet the annual basic water needs of the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa, the report said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
He has started searching out lighter hauls and avoiding hilly routes that guzzle fuel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
But: With osteoporosis the clear nemesis in all of this, it’s time to guzzle milk and inhale other calcium-rich food to shore up my bones, right?
From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2025
‘They is going two times as fast as me and they is finishing their guzzle before we is halfway.’
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
Trust is why the world unhesitatingly guzzles a dark, mysterious liquid that might otherwise appear toxic—because it bears the Coke brand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Millions of tourists a year flock to the region, affecting the entire underground as the industry guzzles water and sewage seeps through the earth and into the caves, killing fish and other wildlife.
From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2024
A single ore hauler at the Christmas Creek mine guzzles gargantuan quantities of diesel every hour.
From New York Times ● Mar. 11, 2023
In the two-minute video, Paddington guzzles tea in front of the queen, before offering a spare marmalade sandwich to make up for his poor table manners.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 20, 2022
The man thunders into the room and guzzles two cups of Belle-rose tea.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Mountain Valley’s green glass bottles, guzzled by Jay-Z and Gwyneth Paltrow, were for moguls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Two dogs helped prevent Tonni, a tiny loggerhead sea turtle, from being guzzled by gulls on Moel y Don beach on Anglesey on Thursday.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2023
She put her own struggles into these books, and her characters guzzled in ways she could no longer allow herself, or, in the case of Louis, acted as sponsor in her own recovery.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2022
Scientists have known for some time that thirst is controlled by neurons that send an alert to put down the glass when the right amount has been guzzled.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2022
Ella guzzled it; the sweet bubbles burst on her tongue.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
The world is guzzling so much oil from commercial and strategic inventories that they risk falling below their minimum operating levels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
When seven-year-old Roo suddenly became unwell last year - losing weight and guzzling water - his doctors and parents feared he might have a brain tumour.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
“Indeed, neither the Gulf war nor Russia-Ukraine could stop oil barrels guzzling out.”
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026
In Los Angeles, there are many characteristically creative options to help stave off the existential despair of politics, such as stress relief workshops, guzzling cold-pressed juices and special taco deals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2024
“She’s going to find Sister Benedicta. You just carry on guzzling, girl. Don’t you worry about it. We’re going back to the kitchen now. Blooming cold out here, en’t it?”
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
