Illustration of swallow
- swallow 1
swal·low
ˈswä-(ˌ)lō 
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
swallowed; swallowing; swallows
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
5
: to keep from expressing or showing : repress
swallowed my anger
6
: to utter (words) indistinctly
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
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
Synonyms
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
Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024
The tiny slug is a blue glaucus, but it's also known as a sea swallow, blue angel and, of course, blue dragon.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024
Northern rough-winged swallow Journeying from its winter grounds in Mexico and Central America, the northern rough-winged swallow started arriving in San Diego in February, Handa said, and is one of Southern California’s earliest spring migratory birds.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
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
Jenny McCoy, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2024
Pinch your nose shut while simultaneously swallowing.
—Blane Bachelor, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2024
If the child is having difficulty breathing or swallowing, go to the emergency room right away.
—Irene Wright, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Boe’s ability to swallow his ego and put the long putter in his bag is as big a key to the Titans’ season as Andrews’ ability to swallow his and address his mental game.
—Brian Robin, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2024
The gel capsules are easy to swallow and are cholesterol-free.
—Alyssa Edwards, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Experts warn its multibillion-dollar valuation defies logic Those who have already swallowed the high borrowing costs to short Trump Media are getting hosed.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Whales with baleen, a filter-feeding system, eat smaller prey like krill, zooplankton and small fish by swallowing large gulps of water and straining it through the baleen plates.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
After being swallowed by the slug, the algal cells continue to live in its digestive system, their chloroplasts photosynthesizing and producing energy, which is then used by the slug.
—Helen Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Noun
The 45-minute flight into Príncipe culminated in an alarming swallow dive down to a new runway that jutted into a jagged shore.
—Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024
The tiny slug is a blue glaucus, but it's also known as a sea swallow, blue angel and, of course, blue dragon.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024
Northern rough-winged swallow Journeying from its winter grounds in Mexico and Central America, the northern rough-winged swallow started arriving in San Diego in February, Handa said, and is one of Southern California’s earliest spring migratory birds.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
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
Verb
More than 80% of Amazon customers give this product a 5-star rating, praising its convenience, value, and ease of swallowing.
—Jenny McCoy, Glamour, 15 Apr. 2024
Pinch your nose shut while simultaneously swallowing.
—Blane Bachelor, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2024
If the child is having difficulty breathing or swallowing, go to the emergency room right away.
—Irene Wright, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Boe’s ability to swallow his ego and put the long putter in his bag is as big a key to the Titans’ season as Andrews’ ability to swallow his and address his mental game.
—Brian Robin, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2024
The gel capsules are easy to swallow and are cholesterol-free.
—Alyssa Edwards, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Experts warn its multibillion-dollar valuation defies logic Those who have already swallowed the high borrowing costs to short Trump Media are getting hosed.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Whales with baleen, a filter-feeding system, eat smaller prey like krill, zooplankton and small fish by swallowing large gulps of water and straining it through the baleen plates.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
After being swallowed by the slug, the algal cells continue to live in its digestive system, their chloroplasts photosynthesizing and producing energy, which is then used by the slug.
—Helen Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Swallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swallow. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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 verb1
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
swallow
3 of 3 noun1
: 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
: to receive something into the body through the mouth and esophagus
swallow
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of swallowing
2
: an amount that can be swallowed at one time
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