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 of gobble

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

Last year, The Studio barged in and gobbled up six nominations; this year, Hacks did the same. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Last month, in a move that reverberated through the tech industry, Apple raised prices across nearly all of its product lines in response to the surging costs of memory and storage, which are being gobbled up for AI infrastructure. — Mark Yarm, PC Magazine, 15 July 2026

In South Florida, the semi-aquatic species has a high reproduction rate and is a generalist feeder, gobbling everything from crabs to snakes to small mammals, according to FWC. — Rylan Digiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2026

Deer-Proof Your Garden To keep your flowers from being gobbled up by deer—one of the most heartbreaking of all garden misfortunes—choose flowers that people find glorious and deer find disgusting. — Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 13 July 2026

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