swallow meaning

swallow as a verb

1. pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
   • Swallow the raw fish--it won't kill you!

   Synonyms: get down

   Kinds: bolt

2. engulf and destroy
   • The Nazis swallowed the Baltic countries

   Type of: demolish

3. enclose or envelop completely, as if by swallowing
   • The huge waves swallowed the small boat and it sank shortly thereafter

   Synonyms: immerse, swallow up, bury, eat up

   Type of: enclose

4. utter indistinctly
   • She swallowed the last words of her speech

   Type of: talk

5. take back what one has said
   • He swallowed his words

   Synonyms: take back, unsay, withdraw

   Type of: disown

6. keep from expressing
   • I swallowed my anger and kept quiet

   Type of: restrain

7. tolerate or accommodate oneself to
   • I shall have to accept these unpleasant working conditions
   • I swallowed the insult
   • She has learned to live with her husband's little idiosyncrasies

   Synonyms: accept, live with

   Type of: digest

8. believe or accept without questioning or challenge
   • Am I supposed to swallow that story?

   Type of: believe

swallow as a noun

1. a small amount of liquid food
   • a sup of ale

   Synonyms: sup

   Type of: taste

2. the act of swallowing
   • one swallow of the liquid was enough
   • he took a drink of his beer and smacked his lips

   Synonyms: drink, deglutition

   Type of: consumption

   Kinds: aerophagia, gulp, sip

3. small long-winged songbird noted for swift graceful flight and the regularity of its migrations

   Type of: oscine

   Kinds: barn swallow, cliff swallow, tree swallow, white-bellied swallow, martin

How to pronounce swallow

swallow is pronounced /ˈswɒləʊ/ in British English and /ˈswɑloʊ/ in American English. It has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.

Words that rhyme with swallow

• follow
• hollow
• dalo
• hollo