swallow

1 of 3

noun (1)

swal·​low ˈswä-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce swallow (audio)
1
: any of numerous small widely distributed oscine birds (family Hirundinidae, the swallow family) that have a short bill, long pointed wings, and often a deeply forked tail and that feed on insects caught on the wing
2
: any of several birds that superficially resemble swallows

Illustration of swallow

Illustration of swallow
  • swallow 1

swallow

2 of 3

verb

swallowed; swallowing; swallows

transitive verb

1
: to take through the mouth and esophagus into the stomach
2
: to envelop or take in as if by swallowing : absorb
swallow the financial loss
watch night swallow the valley
3
: to accept without question, protest, or resentment
swallow an insult
a hard story to swallow
4
: take back, retract
had to swallow my words
5
: to keep from expressing or showing : repress
swallowed my anger
6
: to utter (words) indistinctly

intransitive verb

1
: to receive something into the body through the mouth and esophagus
2
: to perform the action characteristic of swallowing something especially under emotional stress
swallowable adjective
swallower noun

swallow

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
: the passage connecting the mouth to the stomach
2
: a capacity for swallowing
3
a
: an act of swallowing
b
: an amount that can be swallowed at one time

Examples of swallow in a Sentence

Verb He swallowed the grape whole. Chew your food well before you swallow. The boss said, “Come in.” I swallowed hard and walked in. Her story is pretty hard to swallow. I can usually take criticism, but this is more than I can swallow.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Five bank swallows were tallied at Rumney Marsh in Revere, and a pectoral sandpiper was observed at Belle Isle in East Boston. BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023 Two Northern rough-winged swallows at the Longmeadow Flats area in Longmeadow. Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2023 The best and worst are swallows: swooping in unpredictable patterns, harder to follow than the most challenging of my balance exercises. Hazlitt, 13 Dec. 2023 At first, when a couple of sentries popped up to debate swallow airspeed velocity in the turrets of Paul Tate dePoo III’s set (a Technicolor mash-up of mostly flat scenery and hyperactive Terry Gilliam–esque projections that Tate also designed), my heart sank just a bit. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2023 In the air above us, swallows dipped across the sky. Catherine Buni, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2023 Or think of a black tulle 1938-39 dress by Madeleine Vionnet embroidered with a flock of swallows and set in a room with a video of swallows swarming in evermore frenzied circles as the sound of flapping wings fills the space and the light fades to black. Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2023 Since the 1970s, North America’s bird population has dropped by almost 3 billion, and birds like sparrows, swallows, warblers and finches are continuing to disappear. Nidhi Sharma, NBC News, 19 Oct. 2023 But purple martins—shimmery, blackish-bluish swallows native to North America—just can’t get enough. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2023
Verb
Once the regular season started, and the games counted, players calmed down a bit, and the refs often swallowed their whistles when players violated the letter but not the spirit of the new laws. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024 While the type of melatonin ingested was not specified during most visits, the report shows that children had almost always swallowed the product. Amanda Musa, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 As an example, Zimmerman said a project with hundreds of homes would swallow up property near Billy Graham Parkway. Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2024 Criminal justice activists who seemed to make inroads with city lawmakers in the wake of Floyd’s killing say the political rhetoric swallowed their voices — and put D.C. on a dangerous path. Meagan Flynn, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 The first concern was making sure no other potential sinkholes were forming to swallow up the rest of the outfield and/or outfielders. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024 Some are pills to be swallowed, others are dissolvable tablets placed in the cheek or under the tongue, and some are nasal sprays or gels for rectal administration. Jacob Pellinen, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2024 However, there is another factor going on that might make further rallies hard to swallow. Simon Constable, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Rocha testified that Chavez confirmed both men were marked for death before swallowing the note. Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024

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

Noun (1)

Middle English swalowe, from Old English swealwe; akin to Old High German swalawa swallow

Verb

Middle English swalowen, from Old English swelgan; akin to Old High German swelgan to swallow

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of swallow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near swallow

Cite this Entry

“Swallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swallow. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

swallow

1 of 3 noun
swal·​low ˈswäl-ō How to pronounce swallow (audio)
1
: any of a family of small birds that have long pointed wings and usually a deeply forked tail and that feed on insects caught while in flight
2
: any of several birds that look like true swallows

swallow

2 of 3 verb
1
a
: to take into the stomach through the mouth and throat
b
: to perform the actions used in swallowing something
clear your throat and swallow before answering
2
: to take in as if by swallowing : engulf
3
: to accept or believe without question, protest, or anger
a hard story to swallow
4
: to keep from expressing or showing : repress
swallowed my anger
swallower noun

swallow

3 of 3 noun
1
: an act of swallowing
2
: an amount that can be swallowed at one time
Etymology

Noun

Old English swealwe "the swallow"

Verb

Old English swelgan "to swallow"

Medical Definition

swallow

1 of 2 transitive verb
swal·​low ˈswäl-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce swallow (audio)
: to take through the mouth and esophagus into the stomach

intransitive verb

: to receive something into the body through the mouth and esophagus

swallow

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act of swallowing
2
: an amount that can be swallowed at one time

More from Merriam-Webster on swallow

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