1
as in sips
to take into the stomach through the mouth and throat
try not to swallow the toothpaste
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in stifles
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
swallowed his pride and asked for help
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in believes
to regard as right or true
my little niece swallows everything I tell her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swallows
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Once the python swallows the tracker, biologists can track the dangerous python.
—Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Scientists discovered that when a python swallows a collared opossum whole, the GPS device keeps transmitting from inside the snake.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
When a python swallows one of these collared opossums whole, the GPS collar survives inside the snake and continues sending a signal.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
Austin, thinking shockingly fast, swallows the USB stick.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
In Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 film Modern Times, a factory worker struggles to keep pace with an ever-accelerating assembly line—until the machine swallows him whole.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Cliff swallows make nests out of mud pellets that cling to overhangs.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
That was a major downgrade from his current district, which swallows up right-leaning eastern San Diego County and the conservative pockets of Temecula and Murrieta.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Helen Brown, TheWeek, 30 Apr. 2026
Cliff swallows traditionally built their nests on vertical cliff faces.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
From a set of swallows to a topless mermaid, many of Harry Styles’s long menu of tattoos are inspired by classic Americana designs.
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
Elsewhere, swallows flashed across the surface of the water.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
Back at Cala d'Istria, there are swallows swirling en masse.
—Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 July 2025
Verb
As the ocean swallows her fishing village on Mexico’s Gulf Coast, one woman leads the effort to relocate her community while struggling to let go of the sea that shaped her life.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Once the python swallows the tracker, biologists can track the dangerous python.
—Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Scientists discovered that when a python swallows a collared opossum whole, the GPS device keeps transmitting from inside the snake.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
When a python swallows one of these collared opossums whole, the GPS collar survives inside the snake and continues sending a signal.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
Austin, thinking shockingly fast, swallows the USB stick.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
In Charlie Chaplin’s 1936 film Modern Times, a factory worker struggles to keep pace with an ever-accelerating assembly line—until the machine swallows him whole.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Cliff swallows make nests out of mud pellets that cling to overhangs.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
That was a major downgrade from his current district, which swallows up right-leaning eastern San Diego County and the conservative pockets of Temecula and Murrieta.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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
Cliff swallows traditionally built their nests on vertical cliff faces.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
From a set of swallows to a topless mermaid, many of Harry Styles’s long menu of tattoos are inspired by classic Americana designs.
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 9 Mar. 2026
Elsewhere, swallows flashed across the surface of the water.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
Back at Cala d'Istria, there are swallows swirling en masse.
—Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swallows
Verb
-
Group support Wrapped in a fleece jacket, Sarah sips white wine from a stemmed glass.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Nasser adds a spoonful to her chia cherry water recipe and sips the fiber-rich drink slowly during the evenings.—
Devinder Bains,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Conversely, destructive energy hinders performance, breeds resentment, and stifles innovation.—
Rebecca Ahmed,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Overregulation stifles business, regardless of industry.—
John Cleveland,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, actor Victor Colicchio — who lived at the Chelsea Hotel and was in and out of the room on the night of the murder — believes that Vicious wouldn't have killed his girlfriend.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
-
Obama believes norms that prevent the expansion of executive power may need to be codified into law.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
But in 2019, the group started to tighten the energy efficiency standard in gulps.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Iraqis breathed a few gulps of freedom before secular warfare between Sunni and Shia militias began tearing the country apart.—
Nolan Finley,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And today the district, which is in charge of the lake’s restoration, regularly harvests thousands of pounds of gizzard shad, a bottom-feeding junk fish that stirs up and eats nutrients on the lake floor.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
Every time Forrest eats, his small intestine breaks down the resulting slurry of kibble into glucose and other compounds.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Their approach suppresses interference that normally disrupts signal quality during wide-angle scanning.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
The procedural hearing was scheduled to discuss a gag order that suppresses the identities of victims and survivors of the attack who have not chosen to identify themselves publicly.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
And the story itself takes place during the year of its two-hundredth anniversary.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
-
Warren Buffett has loomed large at the company’s annual gatherings, and this will be a key challenge as new CEO Greg Abel takes center stage this year.—
Yun Li,Alex Harring,Sarah Min,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Buck’s Coffee Café is a Cashiers gem that serves various types of coffee and espresso drinks, breakfast and lunch, pastries, beer and wine offerings, and small bites.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026
-
But in joining a growing global hunt for ube, whose signature violet hue has taken over social media in drinks, cakes, and other sweets, Cesari realized that the actual root vegetable was much more elusive, particularly in the wake of its recent fame.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swallows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swallows. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
