swallow

1 of 3

verb

swal·​low ˈswä-(ˌ)lō 

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

ˈswä-lō-ə-bəl 

adjective

swallower

ˈswä-lə-wər 

noun

swallow

2 of 3

noun (1)

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

swallow

3 of 3

noun (2)

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

• swallow 1

Synonyms of swallow

Verb

• sip
• chew
• drink
• eat
• ingest

Noun (1)

• sip
• gulp
• drink

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.

Noun (1)

drank the cool refreshing water in two swallows and held out her cup for more

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

If swallowed, button cell or coin batteries can cause severe internal chemical burns, serious injuries and death, the agency said. —Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 7 May 2026

Four batters later, Braden Shewmake became the second batter to take Ohtani deep all year, lifting a ball to left field that the Crawford Boxes swallowed a mere 337 feet from home plate. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 May 2026

Noun

In January, Shoemaker returned to the speech pathology clinic to take a swallow test. —Jason Kane, NBC news, 6 May 2026

In the spring, all is awash with green and swooped by swallows, and the many roads and hiking trails are beautifully edged with flowers. —Helen Brown, TheWeek, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun (2)

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

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

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

Phrases Containing swallow

• barn swallow
• cliff swallow
• tree swallow

Rhymes for swallow

• follow
• hollow
• malo
• wallow
• apollo
• criollo

Kids Definition

swallow

1 of 3 noun

swal·​low ˈswäl-ō 

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

ˈswäl-ə-wər 

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 

: 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