swill

1 of 2

verb

swilled; swilling; swills

transitive verb

1
2
: to drink great drafts of : guzzle
swill beer
3
: to feed (an animal, such as a pig) with swill

intransitive verb

1
: to drink or eat freely, greedily, or to excess
2
: swash
swiller noun

swill

2 of 2

noun

1
: something suggestive of slop or garbage : refuse
2
a
: a semiliquid food for animals (such as swine) composed of edible refuse mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk
b

Examples of swill in a Sentence

Verb She watched the water swill around in the bucket. He swilled the water around in the pot. He swilled the floor with buckets of water. Noun took his daily swill of the foul-tasting medicine I don't know what's in this swill, but I know that I'm not eating it.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
To the backdrop of a playlist brimming with Brandy, Aaliyah, Monica, and Mariah, attendees swilled around outside the cinema room at NeueHouse for a pre-show cocktail and snack. Freya Drohan, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2024 The dynamic was palpable last week, as Vladimir V. Putin casually announced plans to run for six more years as president of Russia, swilling champagne and bragging about the increasing competence of Russia’s military. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2023
Noun
Hartley connected his temperance and milk crusades in An Essay on Milk from 1842, arguing that milk produced in cities was impure not just because of its adulteration by contaminants like formaldehyde, but also because of its sourcing from urban swill sheds. Catherine Long, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2024 Near the cap, each jug had a single loop big enough for one finger to slip in—not ergonomic, but perfect for tilting it up to your mouth for a quick swill. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 20 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for swill 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English swilen, from Old English swillan

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swill was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near swill

Cite this Entry

“Swill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swill. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

swill

1 of 2 verb
1
: drench
2
: to drink or eat greedily
3
: to feed (as a pig) with swill
swiller noun

swill

2 of 2 noun
1
: food for animals (as pigs) made from scraps of food mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk
2
3

More from Merriam-Webster on swill

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!