gargle
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to gargle (the throat or mouth).
-
to utter with a gargling sound.
noun
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any liquid used for gargling.
-
a gargling sound.
verb
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to rinse (the mouth and throat) with a liquid, esp a medicinal fluid by slowly breathing out through the liquid
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to utter (words, sounds, etc) with the throaty bubbling noise of gargling
noun
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the liquid used for gargling
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the sound produced by gargling
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informal an alcoholic drink
what was her favourite gargle?
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has gargledperfect 3rd person singular
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have gargledperfect
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is garglingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are garglingprogressive
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has been garglingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been garglingperfect progressive
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am garglingprogressive 1st person singular
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garglingparticiple
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garglessingular 3rd person
Past
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had gargledperfect
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had been garglingperfect progressive
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was garglingprogressive singular
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were garglingprogressive plural
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gargledsimple
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gargledparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of gargle
1520–30; < Middle French gargouiller to gargle, rattle the throat, derivative of gargouille throat; perhaps imitative
Explanation
When you gargle, you swish mouthwash or another liquid around your mouth and at the back of your throat. After having a tooth pulled, you might be instructed to gargle with saltwater. If you gargle with mouthwash, moving the minty liquid around your mouth and then spitting it out, you'll have fresh breath. Many people make a gurgling sound when they gargle. The word comes from the Middle French gargouiller, "to gurgle or bubble," which stems from the Old French gargole, meaning both "throat" and "waterspout," rooted in the Latin word for "throat," gula.
Vocabulary lists containing gargle
"Dulce et Decorum Est," by Wilfred Owen
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This Week In Words: November 14–20, 2020
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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.
His mash-up feels fresh, just as the bombastic score by Juri Seppä and Tuomas Wäinölä boldly borrows Ennio Morricone’s soaring horns and wah-wah-waaah squawks while adding its own gargle of Finnish throat singing.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025
People swallow or gargle the brews to combat routine bacterial infections.
From Salon • Nov. 20, 2024
I’ve had hiccups several times since then and have discovered that a quick gargle with water absolutely stops them.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 13, 2023
"I'm now going to go home and gargle some honey."
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2023
The only slight drawback is that I’m one table over from Brij Nath and Matthew Weir, both of whom slurp cafeteria chili and gargle it in the back of their throats as a joke.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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.
