: any of numerous small widely distributed oscine birds (family Hirundinidae, the swallow family) that have a short bill, long pointed wings, and often a deeply forked tail and that feed on insects caught on the wing
2
: any of several birds that superficially resemble swallows
Verb
He swallowed the grape whole.
Chew your food well before you swallow.
The boss said, “Come in.” I swallowed hard and walked in.
Her story is pretty hard to swallow.
I can usually take criticism, but this is more than I can swallow. Noun (1)
drank the cool refreshing water in two swallows and held out her cup for more
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Verb
Nevertheless, the moment is tough to swallow.—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025 This can make swallowing painful.—Mark Gurarie, Health, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
One swallow allegedly does not make a summer.—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025 His strategy: remove the stick, dunk the corn dog in water and swallow.—Amelia Wu
july 19, Sacbee.com, 19 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for swallow
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English swalowen, from Old English swelgan; akin to Old High German swelgan to swallow
Noun (2)
Middle English swalowe, from Old English swealwe; akin to Old High German swalawa swallow
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