gulp

verb

ˈgəlp

gulped; gulping; gulps

Synonyms of gulp next

transitive verb

: to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one swallow

: to keep back as if by swallowing

gulp down a sob

: to take in readily as if by swallowing

gulp down knowledge

intransitive verb

: to catch the breath as if in taking a long drink

gulp noun

gulper noun

Examples of gulp in a Sentence

She told him not to gulp his food. The exhausted racers lay on the ground, gulping air. The exhausted racers were gulping for air. I gulped nervously before beginning my speech. “That's a lot of money,” she gulped. He gulped back tears as he thanked the rescuers. See More

Recent Examples on the Web While Las Vegas is now widely recognized as a national leader in water efficiency, the situation was completely different in the late 1980s, when the city was gulping down its meager allocation of the Colorado so quickly that some believed the burgeoning metropolis would go completely dry by 1995. —

Kyle Paoletta, The New Republic, 30 Oct. 2023 Still, several remaining events look promising: An annual crowd-pleaser, Speedway Grand Prix offers pours of four to — gulp! —

Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023 If the flow of the milk from the bottle nipple is too fast, your baby may be forced to gulp and take in excess air while feeding. —

Tina Donvito, Parents, 29 Sep. 2023 But in 1984, a young Australian physician named Barry Marshall gulped down an infamous concoction of beef broth laced with Helicobacter pylori bacteria. —

Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2023 In recent years, these opportunistic feeders have been documented gulping down squirrels, swallowing rats, and devouring pigeons whole. —

Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 10 Aug. 2023 But new research indicates that, relative to their size, the snakes that can gulp down the largest meals are harmless, three-foot-long egg eaters. —

Kate Golembiewski, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2023 Each one was a bit different – creamy, smooth, mellow and delicious -- always gulped, never sipped. —

Susan Glaser, cleveland, 1 June 2023 The herring came through the sound, surfacing and gulping only oil. —

Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 10 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gulp.' 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, from a Middle Dutch or Middle Low German word akin to Dutch & Frisian gulpen to bubble forth, drink deep; akin to Old English gielpan to boast — more at yelp

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of gulp was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century