gullet

noun

gul·​let ˈgə-lət How to pronounce gullet (audio)
1
: esophagus
broadly : throat
2
: an invagination of the protoplasm in various protozoans (such as a paramecium) that sometimes functions in the intake of food
3
: the space between the tips of adjacent saw teeth

Examples of gullet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After days of agony, success is a room of people glancing at Lizzy’s work while stuffing their gullets with cheese. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 There is a small gullet in his mouth, so Cookie can actually eat something the size of a small fist. Sopan Deb, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023 Their introductions are carefully crafted WWE-grade nightmare fuel, announced as if each competitor is a god come down from the heavens to vacuum meat tubes down their gullets. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 1 Aug. 2023 Video shared by the Italian Coast Guard showed wreckage from the wooden gullet, a Turkish sailing boat, washed up onto the beach. Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 26 Feb. 2023 My gullet capers like a piccolo. Laura Kolbe, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2023 The water that runs down your gullet will, within minutes and without processing of any kind, become some of the dominant fluid in your veins and your flesh. Curt Stager, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2014 Obviously thanks to the private foundations and governments who fund the awesome research which feeds the gullet of this weblog. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2010 Today, the digestive metaphor should be reversed: New York is a gullet in distress, vomiting its tonnage into the world. Curbed, 12 Aug. 2022

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

Middle English golet, from Anglo-French, diminutive of gule throat, from Latin gula — more at glutton

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gullet was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near gullet

Cite this Entry

“Gullet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gullet. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gullet

noun
gul·​let ˈgəl-ət How to pronounce gullet (audio)
1
a
: the tube that leads from the back of the mouth to the stomach : esophagus
2
: a tubular structure of various protozoans (as a paramecium) that is used especially to take in food

Medical Definition

gullet

noun
gul·​let ˈgəl-ət How to pronounce gullet (audio)
1
: esophagus
broadly : throat
2
: an invagination of the protoplasm in various protozoans (as a paramecium) that sometimes functions in the intake of food
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!