What does "swallow" mean?
A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
Swallow
/ˈswɒl.əʊ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
- Grammar: swallow is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: deglutition, abide, abjure, ablate.
- Useful contrasts: belch, belches, belching.
- Usage evidence: First, swallow one dose of barium.
How to use "swallow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "swallow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "swallow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "swallow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "swallow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "swallow" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "deglutition" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "swallow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A deep chasm or abyss in the earth. archaic, countable, uncountable
- 2 A small, migratory bird of the Hirundinidae family with long, pointed, moon-shaped wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects.
- 3 the act of swallowing wordnet
- 4 The mouth and throat; that which is used for swallowing; the gullet. archaic, countable, uncountable
"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; it was the devil who was about again."
- 5 small long-winged songbird noted for swift graceful flight and the regularity of its migrations wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing. countable, uncountable
"He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water."
- 7 a small amount of liquid food wordnet
- 8 The opening in a pulley block between the sheave and shell through which the rope passes. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 9 Any of various carbohydrate-based dishes that are swallowed without much chewing, commonly paired and eaten with various types of soup. Nigeria, countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat. transitive
"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."
- 2 believe or accept without questioning or challenge wordnet
- 3 To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb. transitive
"The necessary provision of the life swallows the greatest part of their time."
- 4 tolerate or accommodate oneself to wordnet
- 5 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. intransitive
"My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 keep from expressing wordnet
- 7 To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept. transitive
"this humbug was readily swallowed by men who were supposed to be intelligent,"
- 8 take back what one has said wordnet
- 9 To engross; to appropriate; usually with up. intransitive
"Homer excels […] in this, that he swallowed up the honour of those who succeeded him."
- 10 utter unclearly wordnet
- 11 To retract; to recant. transitive
"to swallow one's opinions"
- 12 engulf and destroy wordnet
- 13 To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation. transitive
"to swallow an affront or insult"
- 14 pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking wordnet
- 15 enclose or envelop completely, as if by swallowing wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A village and civil parish in West Lindsey district, Lincolnshire, England (OS grid ref TA1703). countable, uncountable
Example
"First, swallow one dose of barium."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "swallow"?
Common synonyms include: deglutition, abide, abjure, ablate, absorb, accede.
How do you use "swallow" in a sentence?
First, swallow one dose of barium.
How do you pronounce "swallow"?
Pronounced /ˈswɒl.əʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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”), 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 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, whirpool”), Middle Low German swelch (“whirlpool, eddy”), Dutch zwelg (“gorge, chasm, gullet, throat”), Old Norse svelgr (“whirlpool, current, stream”).
Etymology 2
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.
Etymology 3
* 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.