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
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Recent Examples of swilling
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
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
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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
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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
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With spring quickly approaching, now is the time to refresh your porch decor for those upcoming days of sipping sweet tea outside.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
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Last but not least, don’t underestimate the importance of sipping on good old H2O throughout the day.—
Michele Ross,
SELF,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The system went live publicly on Tuesday, February 24th, and on the first night dropped some 800,000 alerts about asteroids, supernovas, and feasting black holes.—
Terrence O'Brien,
The Verge,
28 Feb. 2026
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These insects are still evolving, and humans are increasingly encroaching on wild areas—more mosquitoes could continue to adapt to prefer feasting on us over other animals.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Keep beverages and sweets covered, and be wary of drinking from soda cans outdoors since wasps can crawl inside.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
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The protagonist then goads him into drinking enough to agree to spending the afternoon at her lake house.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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 9 Mar. 2026.
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