gobble

1 of 2

verb (1)

gob·​ble ˈgä-bəl How to pronounce gobble (audio)
gobbled; gobbling ˈgä-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce gobble (audio)

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 How to pronounce gobble (audio)

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

Examples of gobble in a Sentence

Verb (1) gobbled the sandwiches like they hadn't eaten for days
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Those who can afford to pay out of pocket are gobbling up the supply of GLP-1s (in some cases for vanity use), while access remains limited for people on Medicare or Medicaid who are disproportionately burdened by obesity and diabetes. Owen Tripp, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024 Phonk has been around for more than a decade, one of several styles gobbled up by extremely online listeners. Elias Leight, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2024 Each tiny, tripod-looking phage has evolved to hunt, attack and gobble up a specific bacterial species. Issy Ronald, CNN, 9 Oct. 2024 As a venture capitalist, Vance recalls seeing biotech startups trying to cure Alzheimer’s disease struggle to recruit neuroscientists because so many were gobbled up by Facebook. Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gobble 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gobble.' 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 (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

Time Traveler
The first known use of gobble was in 1583

Dictionary Entries Near gobble

Cite this Entry

“Gobble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gobble. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

gobble

1 of 2 verb
gob·​ble ˈgäb-əl How to pronounce gobble (audio)
gobbled; gobbling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce gobble (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on gobble

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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