gobble

1 of 2

verb (1)

gob·​ble ˈgä-bəl 

gobbled; gobbling ˈgä-b(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to swallow or eat greedily

2

: to take eagerly : grab

—usually used with up

3

: to read rapidly or greedily

—usually used with up

gobble

2 of 2

verb (2)

gobbled; gobbling ˈgä-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to make the natural guttural noise of a male turkey

2

: to make a sound resembling the gobble of a turkey

gobble noun

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• devour
• inhale
• gulp

Examples of gobble in a Sentence

Verb (1)

gobbled the sandwiches like they hadn't eaten for days

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Leafy cherry trees, the fruit all gone, gobbled up by us and by the birds, and trees with ripening white and flat peaches. —Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025

Across the state, corporate owners have gobbled up tens of thousands of homes and converted them to rentals and caused the makeup of neighborhoods to shift. —Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 14 Aug. 2025

When larger banks stepped out of the reverse mortgage market in the 2010s, Finance of America gobbled up much of the demand to become one of the biggest names in the field. —Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 8 Aug. 2025

John Franklin-Myers and D.J. Jones gobbled up a handoff to 49ers stud Christian McCaffrey. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

probably irregular from gob entry 1

Verb (2)

imitative

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1680, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gobble

• bauble
• cobble
• hobble
• labile
• squabble
• wobble
• cantabile

Kids Definition

gobble

1 of 2 verb

gob·​ble ˈgäb-əl 

gobbled; gobbling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to swallow or eat greedily

2

: to take eagerly : grab

the small country was gobbled up by its neighbor

gobble

2 of 2 verb

: to make the sound of a male turkey

gobble noun