1
as in gorging
to eat greedily or to excess
they can spend hours at the pub, drinking, chatting, and swilling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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
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
Verb
-
And all those who find the Dodgers’ gorging offensive also tend to overlook that their spending provides real benefits as well.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Of all the schemes that humans have devised to keep sea lions from gorging on the salmon of the Columbia River basin, none has worked for long.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Despite rainy March weather outside, the inside of their matcha cafe was buzzing with dozens of customers happily sipping on light green lattes.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Lounging at home, heading to the office, sipping an afternoon spritz—the light, sophisticated layers do, in fact, go with everything.—
India Roby,
Glamour,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That afternoon, after feasting on Jumanyazov’s plov, gleaming with oil and piled high with carrots, Aytjanov took me to the home of Gawxar Abdikarimova, a researcher at the Regional History and Aral Sea Museum who was also born into a post-Sea world.—
Michael Snyder,
Saveur,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The fruit his study subjects were feasting on is called African star apple.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, hyponatremia, a condition that results from drinking too much water and effectively diluting the sodium content of your blood, can actually be far more dangerous.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Binge drinking — defined as drinking five plus beverages in one sitting — drove the most liver disease deaths, with the greatest risk among those who engaged in binge drinking while living with type 2 diabetes or hypertension.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Yes, gulping the liquid the night before was an ordeal — try drinking three liters of anything in three hours, going to sleep, then waking up six hours later for one final liter.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swilling. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
