swallow
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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.
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to enunciate poorly; mutter.
He swallowed his words.
verb (used without object)
noun
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the act or an instance of swallowing.
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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
- swallow-like adjective
- swallowable adjective
- swallower noun
- unswallowable adjective
- unswallowed adjective
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
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.
These demands would be a bitter pill for Washington and its Gulf Arab allies to swallow.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Major reservoirs are already above historic averages, and early season storms soaked the soil beneath the snowpack, making it less likely to swallow the runoff.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026
The economic and political pain of getting it back under control became tough to swallow.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
That shows many investors believe it’s wise to swallow their fears of war, but he thinks that “is a total misreading of history,” given its impact on energy and fertilizer supplies.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
Just the thought of trying to swallow a mouthful was nauseating.
From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
