swill

verb

ˈswil 

swilled; swilling; swills

transitive verb

1

: wash, drench

2

: to drink great drafts of : guzzle

swill beer

3

: to feed (an animal, such as a pig) with swill

intransitive verb

1

: to drink or eat freely, greedily, or to excess

2

: swash

swiller noun

Synonyms of swill

• gorge
• feast

Examples of swill in a Sentence

She watched the water swill around in the bucket.

He swilled the water around in the pot.

He swilled the floor with buckets of water.

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s the youngest, most freewheeling son’s habit of swilling cold coffee while watching The Gong Show. —Literary Hub, 20 May 2026

Spirit swilling was down 5% in California, compared with a 4% drop nationwide. —Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 15 May 2026

Cate Blanchett, ‘Blue Jasmine’ (2014) Blanchett delivers an enjoyably tragicomic turn in Woody Allen's dramedy as a booze-swilling, Xanax-popping hot mess. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026

People who would never be caught dead swilling neon fizz from a camouflage can were suddenly consuming a drink that was materially the same, but was being sold by exploiting a different set of unattainable aspirations, using a different vocabulary. —Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English swilen, from Old English swillan

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for swill

• bill
• brill
• chill
• drill
• fil
• fill
• frill
• gill
• grill
• grille
• jill
• kill

Kids Definition

swill

1 of 2 verb

ˈswil 

1

: drench

2

: to drink or eat greedily

3

: to feed (as a pig) with swill

swiller noun

swill

2 of 2 noun

1

: food for animals (as pigs) made from scraps of food mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk

2

: garbage, refuse

3

: swig entry 1