swilling

verb

present participle of swill
1
as in gorging
to eat greedily or to excess they can spend hours at the pub, drinking, chatting, and swilling

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sipping
to swallow in liquid form they gathered in the break room each morning to swill coffee together before the morning meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 swilling 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 Vicky Dawson is loopy and judgmental as Becca’s wine-swilling mom Nat. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026 Editors and influencers piled into the train-carriage narrow Ojii restaurant on the Left Bank, swilling lychee martinis and Champagne before settling in for rounds of wagyu beef, tuna tartare, tempura and — of course — sushi. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 18 Nov. 2025 Fighting off hordes of alien monstrosities AND digging for rare minerals in outer space as a crew of beer-swilling, ass kicking space dwarves? — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swilling
  1. gorging
  2. sipping
  3. feasting
  4. drinking
  5. gulping
Verb
  • There will be title defenses from Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, who are the Michael Jordan and Diana Taurasi of gorging sausages.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 4 July 2026
  • But gorging on pollen alone wasn’t enough to lengthen a life.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
Definition of gorging
Verb
  • Whether your plans include taking a swim in the pool or sipping your favorite iced beverage, there are still plenty more warm days ahead.
    — Brittany VanDerBill, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 July 2026
  • Think of biting into a chili lime mango slice dusted with Tajín or sipping a mangonada layered with chamoy.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
Definition of sipping
Verb
  • Having eaten nearly every possible version of lobster over the past few days, there was something special about feasting on local mushrooms and indulging in a dozen exquisite Maine oysters.
    — Dinaw Mengestu, Travel + Leisure, 28 July 2026
  • Now, a new study on the diet of gray wolves suggests that the population regrowth is a result of the animals feasting on cattle, as their natural prey sources remain comparatively scarce.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of feasting
Verb
  • For chemicals classified as possible human carcinogens, MCLGs are typically set at a level where drinking the water daily for 70 years would cause one additional cancer case per 1 million people above the background rate.
    — Christine Kirchhoff, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
  • Traditionally, mate is passed around a group, with friends and family members often drinking from the same bombilla.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of drinking
Verb
  • Others can’t stand the sound of gulping.
    — Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
  • This viral anti-slip slow feeder lick bowl helps prevent gulping and bloating, while keeping your dogs entertained for longer with a healthy, fun challenge.
    — Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 25 May 2026
Definition of gulping

Browse Nearby Words

swillers
swilling
swills
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Cite this Entry

“Swilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swilling. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on swilling

Nglish: Translation of swilling for Spanish Speakers

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