swallow
Meaning
-
- To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.
- To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb.
- To take food down into the stomach; to make the muscular contractions of the oesophagus to achieve this, often taken as a sign of nervousness or strong emotion.
- To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept.
- To engross; to appropriate; usually with up.
- To retract; to recant.
- To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation.
Synonyms
eat greedily
cooked rice
hirundinidae
force back
small person
stuff in
swallow whole
cry bitterly
swallow down
gulp down one’s saliva
accept without question
amount passed down throat
taking down throat
allow to go
devour To fill
pocket without a hitch
believe in
choke down
little bird
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈswɒ.ləʊ/
Etymology
In summary
From Middle English swolowen, swolwen, swolȝen, swelwen, swelȝen, 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”), Swedish svälja (“to swallow, gulp”), Icelandic svelgja (“to swallow”), Old English swillan, swilian (“to swill, wash out, gargle”). See also swill. The noun is from Middle English swelwe, 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, whirpool”), Middle Low German swelch (“whirlpool, eddy”), Dutch zwelg (“gorge, chasm, gullet, throat”), Old Norse svelgr (“whirlpool, current, stream”).
Bookmark this
Improve your pronunciation
Start learning English with learnfeliz.
Practice speaking and memorizing "swallow" and many other words and sentences in English.
Go to our English course page
Notes