swallow
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swallow¹
- /ˈswɒl.əʊ/ UK
- /ˈswɒl.ə/ Northumbria, UK
- /ˈswɑ.loʊ/ US, dialectal
- [ˈswɑ.loʊ̯] US, dialectal
- /ˈswɑlə/
Rhymes with -ɒləʊ
Where it comes from
From Middle English swolwen, from Old English swelgan, from Proto-West Germanic *swelgan, from Proto-Germanic *swelganą (“to swallow, revel, devour”), from Proto-Indo-European *swelk- (“to gulp”). Cognate with Dutch zwelgen (“to revel, carouse, guzzle”), German schwelgen (“to delight, indulge”), Danish svælge (“to swallow”), Norwegian Bokmål svelge (“to swallow”), Norwegian Nynorsk svelgje (“to swallow”), Swedish svälja (“to swallow, gulp”), Faroese svølgja (“to swallow”), Icelandic svelgja (“to swallow”), Old English swillan, swilian (“to swill, wash out, gargle”). See also swill.
The noun is from Middle English swolow, swolwe, from Old English swelh, swelg (“gulf, chasm”) and ġeswelge (“gulf, chasm, abyss, whirlpool”), both from Proto-West Germanic *swelg, *swalgi, from Proto-Germanic *swelgaz, *swalgiz. Cognate with Old English swiliġe (“pit”), Scots swelch, swellie, swallie (“an abyss in the sea, whirlpool”), Middle Low German swelch (“whirlpool, eddy”), Dutch zwelg (“gorge, chasm, gullet, throat”), Old Norse svelgr (“whirlpool, current, stream”).
verb swallows · swallowing · swallowed · swalow · swolow
- To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat. What the liquor was I do not know, but it was not so strong but that I could swallow it in great gulps and found it less burning than my burning throat.
-
To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb.
death is swallowed up in victory
Similar: absorb, engulf, incorporate, swallow up, add on, assimilate, co-opt, corporate, incorpse, integrate, subsume, swallow
-
To take food down into the stomach; or to make muscular contractions of the oesophagus from nervousness or strong emotion.
My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow.
Similar: gulp
- To accept easily, gullibly, or without questions; to be deceived by; to believe, accept. this humbug was readily swallowed by men who were supposed to be intelligent,
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To engross; to appropriate; usually with up.
Homer excels […] in this, that he swallowed up the honour of those who succeeded him.
Similar: absorb, monopolize, occupy, take over
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To retract; to recant.
to swallow one's opinions, to swallow one's pride
Similar: disavow, take back, abjure, backpedal, disown, eat one's words, recall, recant, retract, revoke, swallow, unsay
-
To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation.
to swallow an affront or insult
Similar: endure, live with, abear, abide, aby, accept, allow, bear, bide, brook, dree, forbear
- To swallow semen after oral sex, as opposed to spitting it out. Was she straight or was she gay? Did she spit or swallow? Was she smooth or hairy down there? Questions, questions.
noun swallows · swalow · swolow
- The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing. He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water.
- A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
- The mouth and throat; that which is used for swallowing; the gullet. The door burst wide open, and he saw nothing but a gaping jaw extending from the threshold up to the lintel. "There is a mouthful for you," said the youngster, and threw the pauper boy into the swallow; "taste that! But let me see now who you are! Perhaps you are an old acquaintance?" And so it was;
- The opening in a pulley block between the sheave and shell through which the rope passes. In addition, j-lock shackles can pass through the swallow of a modern genoa track even with a sheet in tension already there, and this is very useful when preparing a sail change on the same tack.
- Any of various carbohydrate-based dishes that are swallowed without much chewing, commonly paired and eaten with various types of soup.
swallow²
- /ˈswɒl.əʊ/ UK
- /ˈswɒl.ə/ Northumbria, UK
- /ˈswɑ.loʊ/ US, dialectal
- [ˈswɑ.loʊ̯] US, dialectal
- /ˈswɑlə/
Rhymes with -ɒləʊ
Where it comes from
From Middle English swalwe, swalewe, swalowe, from Old English swealwe, from Proto-West Germanic *swalwā, from Proto-Germanic *swalwǭ. Cognate with Norwegian and Danish svale, Dutch zwaluw, German Schwalbe, Swedish svala.
noun swallows
-
A small migratory bird of the family Hirundinidae with long, pointed wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects.
“What a remarkable phenomenon,” said the Professor of Ornithology as he was passing over the bridge. “A swallow in winter!” And he wrote a long letter about it to the local newspaper. Every one quoted it, it was full of so many words that they could not understand.
Similar: martin
- Any of a number of other species of birds previously or popularly called "swallow", such as the sea swallow.
Swallow³
Where it comes from
* As an English surname, from the noun swallow (sense 2).
* Also as an English surname, from Swallow in Lincolnshire, named after its river. The placename itself could be related to the verb swell, or related to the name of the river Swale.
proper noun Swallows
- A surname.
- A village and civil parish in West Lindsey district, Lincolnshire, England (OS grid ref TA1703).
Translations
Every language
verb to take in, to consume
| Español | tragar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 嚥下する enge suru |
| Kiswahili | meza |
| Português | engolir |
| Français | avaler |
| Deutsch | verschlucken |
| Italiano | consumare, assorbire |
verb to cause to pass from the mouth into the stomach
| Español | tragar, engullir, deglutir, ingurgitar, gandir |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 삼키다 samkida |
| 日本語 | 嚥下する enge suru, 飲み込む nomikomu |
| 中文 | 吞 tūn, 咽 yàn, 吞嚥 /吞咽 tūnyàn |
| हिन्दी | निगलना nigalnā |
| Kiswahili | kumeza |
| Português | engolir, deglutir |
| Français | avaler |
| Deutsch | schlucken |
| Italiano | inghiottire, ingerire, mandare giù, ingoiare |
| Ελληνικά | καταπίνω katapíno |
| Română | înghiți |
| Русский | глота́ть glotátʹ, проглоти́ть proglotítʹ, глотну́ть glotnútʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | nuốt |
| العربية | جَرَعَ jaraʕa, بَلَعَ balaʕa, سَرَطَ saraṭa, اِزْدَرَدَ izdarada |
| עברית | בָּלַע balá |
verb (intransitive) to make muscular contractions of the oesophagus
| Español | deglutir |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | meza |
| Português | engolir, deglutir |
| Français | avaler, déglutir |
| Italiano | deglutire, inghiottire |
| Ελληνικά | καταπίνω katapíno |
verb to believe or accept unquestioningly, be deceived by
| Español | comérselo, tragar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 相信 xiāngxìn |
| Kiswahili | meza |
| Português | engolir |
| Français | avaler, digérer |
| Deutsch | schlucken, akzeptieren |
| Italiano | accettare, crederci, mandare giù, bersi or bersela |
| Ελληνικά | καταπίνω katapíno |
verb to put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation
| Español | tragar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 容忍 róngrěn |
| Deutsch | schlucken, abfinden mit, hinnehmem, ertragen, aushalten |
noun amount swallowed
| Español | trago |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 口 kǒu |
| Kiswahili | meza |
| Português | gole, engolida |
| Français | gorgée, avalée |
| Deutsch | Schluck |
| Ελληνικά | μπουκιά boukiá |
| Русский | глото́к glotók |
| العربية | جَرْعَة jarʕa, شَرْبَة šarba, قَمْحَة qamḥa |
noun a chasm or abyss
| Kiswahili | meza |
|---|
noun bird
| Español | golondrina |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 제비 jebi |
| 日本語 | 燕 tsubame, ツバメ tsubame |
| 中文 | 燕子 yànzi |
| हिन्दी | अबाबील abābīl |
| Kiswahili | mbayuwayu |
| Português | andorinha |
| Français | hirondelle |
| Deutsch | Schwalbe |
| Italiano | rondine |
| Ελληνικά | χελιδόνι chelidóni |
| Română | rândunică, lăstun, rândunea |
| Русский | ла́сточка lástočka |
| Tiếng Việt | nhạn, én |
| العربية | سُنُونُو sunūnū |
| עברית | סנונית snunit |
Talk about this word "swallow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/swallow. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. swallow. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/swallow "swallow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/swallow.Cite this
@misc{swallow_2026,
title = {swallow},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/swallow},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
