gobble

verb (1)

gob·ble | \ ˈgä-bəl

gobbled; gobbling\ ˈgä-b(ə-)liŋ

Definition of gobble

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

verb (2)

gobbled; gobbling\ ˈgä-b(ə-)liŋ

Definition of gobble (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to make the natural guttural noise of a male turkey

2 : to make a sound resembling the gobble of a turkey

Other Words from gobble Example Sentences Learn More about gobble

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Examples of gobble in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Pensions gobble up 44% of federal spending, or 8.5% of GDP. — The Economist, "Despite turmoil, Brazil is starting to fix its pension system," 22 June 2019 In May, when juvenile beavers leave their lodges, wolves gobble up the vulnerable rodents. — Ben Goldfarb, National Geographic, "The secret lives of fish-eating, beaver-ambushing wolves of Minnesota," 21 June 2019 Not to dismiss the ankle-high, golf-ball-gobbling rough at this week’s U.S. Open, but the world’s finest players can cope with tall grass. — Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, "Wind can torment U.S. Open players more than any other challenge," 12 June 2019 In another instance, rain delayed a show and with nothing else to do, the crew gobbled the entire spread. — Tom Roland, Billboard, "CMA Fest Expands Its Charitable Reach to Help Feed Nashvillians in Need," 12 June 2019 The forward gobbled up any passes that lacked the proper pace or weight, and the mishandling along the backline aided the forward on the way to a hat trick. — Julia Poe, Pro Soccer USA, "Marta roars back into NWSL play ready to challenge Pride teammates," 17 Aug. 2018 Even before a cent is laid out for roads, bridges, schools, or health care for the poor, some 27 percent of Connecticut’s budget is gobbled up by employee pensions and debt service costs. — Russell Blair, courant.com, "Rhode Island newspaper takes jab at Connecticut in editorial, calls state ‘a sea of dysfunction’," 19 June 2019 The hosting rat eventually poops out the young parasites, which then get gobbled up by feces-feasting snails and slugs (intermediate hosts). — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Hawaii warns tourists of parasitic worm that can burrow into human brains," 30 May 2019 Meanwhile, bass hatchlings — formerly gobbled up by the minnows — flourished, and in 2010, the bass population exploded to more than 1,000. — Quanta Magazine, "Nature’s Critical Warning System," 18 Nov. 2015

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Readers ages 8 to 15 with a taste for tough-guy thrills will gobble this one up. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Boys of the Great War," 28 June 2019 For decades, people have fearfully imagined armies of hyper-efficient robots invading offices and factories, gobbling up jobs once done by humans. — Kevin Roose, New York Times, "A.I. May Not Take Your Job, but It Could Become Your Boss," 23 June 2019 The mission planners feared that the lunar module could become instantly mired, or just sink out of sight, gobbled up like candy. — Anchorage Daily News, "How did NASA put men on the moon? One harrowing step at a time.," 23 June 2019 The mission planners feared that the lunar module could become instantly mired, or just sink out of sight, gobbled up like candy. — The Washington Post, al.com, "How did NASA put men on the moon? One harrowing step at a time," 19 June 2019 Not to dismiss the ankle-high, golf-ball-gobbling rough at this week’s U.S. Open, but the world’s finest players can cope with tall grass. — Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, "Wind can torment U.S. Open players more than any other challenge," 12 June 2019 Nvidia released new graphics chips last fall that included newfangled ray-tracing technology, but gamers haven’t gobbled them up—possibly waiting for prices to drop and more games to exploit the latest features. — Asa Fitch, WSJ, "Nvidia’s Revenue Sinks 24%, but Wall Street Feared Worse," 14 Feb. 2019 But Michelin, and just about everyone else, gobbled it up. — Sarah Dilorenzo, The Seattle Times, "Michelin-starred French master chef Joel Robuchon dies at 73," 6 Aug. 2018 If county commissioners were to keep the tax rate the same as this year, Grinnell’s request would gobble it all up and still be short $1 million. — Lauren Ritchie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Lake has ability to beef up Sheriff's Office and keep taxes reasonable," 25 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gobble.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.