engorge

[ en-gawrj ]

verb (used with or without object)

, en·gorged, en·gorg·ing.

1. to swallow greedily; glut or gorge:

   The fish love to follow the boat and engorge on bait.

2. to congest or swell with a bodily fluid, as milk ducts in the breast or blood vessels in a part of the body:

   As these blood vessels engorge, they put pressure on a large cranial nerve.

   Your breasts may become painfully engorged if the baby does not feed properly.

3. to swell with any fluid:

   The Yellow River becomes engorged during the summer monsoon season.

4. to overfill or oversupply with anything:

   It seems that the market is already so engorged, it just can’t absorb any more tech right now.

engorge

/ ɪnˈɡɔːdʒ /

verb

1. pathol to congest with blood
2. to eat (food) ravenously or greedily
3. to gorge (oneself); glut; satiate

Derived Forms

• enˈgorgement, noun

Other Words From

• en·gorge·ment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of engorge¹

From the Middle French word engorger, dating back to 1505–15. See en- ¹, gorge ¹

Example Sentences

In the tear-down culture in which we engorge ourselves like ticks bloated on blood, I guess he truly is the King.

From The Daily Beast