swallow Meaning & Definition
What Does Swallow Mean?
As a verb, swallow means To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat. It can also mean To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb. As a noun, it means The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing. As a noun, it means A small migratory bird of the family Hirundinidae with long, pointed wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects.
Quick Facts About Swallow
| Part of speech | verb, noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈswɒl.əʊ/ |
| Syllables | 2 |
| Synonyms | withdraw, accept and engross |
| Plural | swallows |
| Verb forms | swallows, swallowing, swallowed |
Swallow Definition (Verb)
- To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.
- To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb.
death is swallowed up in victory
- To take food down into the stomach; or to make muscular contractions of the oesophagus from nervousness or strong emotion.
My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow.
- To accept easily, gullibly, or without questions; to be deceived by; to believe, accept.
- To engross; to appropriate; usually with up.
- To retract; to recant.
to swallow one's opinions, to swallow one's pride
- To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation.
to swallow an affront or insult
- To swallow semen after oral sex, as opposed to spitting it out.
Swallow as a Noun
- The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing.
He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water.
- A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
- The mouth and throat; that which is used for swallowing; the gullet.
- The opening in a pulley block between the sheave and shell through which the rope passes.
- Any of various carbohydrate-based dishes that are swallowed without much chewing, commonly paired and eaten with various types of soup.
Noun
- A small migratory bird of the family Hirundinidae with long, pointed wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects.
- Any of a number of other species of birds previously or popularly called "swallow", such as the sea swallow.
Noun
- Any of various carbohydrate-based dishes that are swallowed without much chewing.
Verb
- To take food down into the stomach; to make the muscular contractions of the oesophagus to achieve this, often taken as a sign of nervousness or strong emotion.
My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow.
- To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept.
Noun
- A small, migratory bird of the Hirundinidae family with long, pointed, moon-shaped wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects.
- The aperture in a block through which the rope reeves.
Synonyms of Swallow
Swallow in a Sentence
death is swallowed up in victory
My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow.
to swallow one's opinions, to swallow one's pride
to swallow an affront or insult
He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water.
to swallow one's opinions
Word Forms & Grammar
swallow (third-person singular simple present swallows, present participle swallowing, simple past and past participle swallowed)
swallow (countable and uncountable, plural swallows)
swallow (plural swallows)
Words That Rhyme With Swallow
Origin of Swallow
Origin 1: From Middle English swolwen, from Old English swelgan, from Proto-West Germanic *swelgan, from Proto-Germanic *swelganą (“to swallow, revel, devour”), from Proto-Indo-European *swelk- (“to gulp”). Cognate with Dutch zwelgen (“to revel, carouse, guzzle”), German schwelgen (“to delight, indulge”), Danish svælge (“to swallow, indulge”), Norwegian Bokmål svelge (“to swallow”), Norwegian Nynorsk svelgje (“to swallow”), Swedish svälja (“to swallow, gulp”), Faroese svølgja (“to swallow”), Icelandic svelgja (“to swallow”), Old English swillan, swilian (“to swill, wash out, gargle”). See also swill.
Origin 2: The noun is from Middle English swolow, swolwe, from Old English swelh, swelg (“gulf, chasm”) and ġeswelge (“gulf, chasm, abyss, whirlpool”), both from Proto-West Germanic *swelg, *swalgi, from Proto-Germanic *swelgaz, *swalgiz. Cognate with Old English swiliġe (“pit”), Scots swelch, swellie, swallie (“an abyss in the sea, whirlpool”), Middle Low German swelch (“whirlpool, eddy”), Dutch zwelg (“gorge, chasm, gullet, throat”), Old Norse svelgr (“whirlpool, current, stream”).
Origin 3: From Middle English swalwe, swalewe, swalowe, from Old English swealwe, from Proto-West Germanic *swalwā, from Proto-Germanic *swalwǭ. Cognate with Norwegian and Danish svale, Dutch zwaluw, German Schwalbe, Swedish svala.
Pronouncing Swallow
You say swallow as /ˈswɒl.əʊ/. It has 2 syllables, with the main stress on the first syllable (swɒl).
Swallow: Your Questions Answered
Is swallow a verb or a noun?
Swallow is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun.
What is another word for swallow?
Words with a similar meaning to swallow include withdraw, accept and engross. See the full list of swallow synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of swallow?
The plural of swallow is swallows.
What is the past tense of swallow?
The past tense of swallow is swallowed. The present participle is swallowing.