What does "swill" mean?
A mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to pigs etc; especially kitchen waste for this purpose.
Swill
/swɪl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to pigs etc; especially kitchen waste for this purpose.
- Grammar: swill is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: slop, slops, barley, beverage.
- Useful contrasts: clean water, deprive, dry.
- Usage evidence: Even the finest fete becomes mere hogs swill.
How to use "swill"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "swill" 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 "swill" 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 "swill" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "swill" 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 "swill" is acting as noun, verb, slang 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 "slop" 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 "swill", 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 mixture of solid and liquid food scraps fed to pigs etc; especially kitchen waste for this purpose. collective, countable, uncountable
- 2 wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk wordnet
- 3 Any disgusting or distasteful liquid. broadly, countable, uncountable
"I cannot believe anyone could drink this swill."
- 4 Anything disgusting or worthless. broadly, countable, figuratively, uncountable
"This new TV show is a worthless load of swill."
- 5 A large quantity of liquid drunk at one swallow. countable, informal, uncountable
"He took a swill of his drink and tried to think of words."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Inexpensive beer or alcohol. countable, informal, uncountable
"Kesh's assistant, Wilma, wants to surprise Kesh with some bootlegged swill from Kadara."
- 7 A badly-thrown pass. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To drink (or, rarely, eat) greedily or to excess. transitive
"[…] well-dressed people, of both sexes, […] devouring sliced beef, and swilling port, and punch, and cider […]"
- 2 drink large quantities of (liquid, especially alcoholic drink) wordnet
- 3 To wash (something) by flooding with water. transitive
"As fearfully as doth a galled rock / O’erhang and jutty his confounded base, / Swill’d with the wild and wasteful ocean."
- 4 feed pigs wordnet
- 5 To move (a liquid or liquid-filled vessel) in a circular motion. transitive
"Jimmie looked lovingly at the flask, smelt it, and then, placing it next his ear, swilled it round to hear the splash of liquor."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To move around or over a surface. intransitive
"[…] before them, between the high banks of the Vaal, they saw only a world of brown water, streaked with white froth, hurling down upon them. It rose above the foot-board and swilled to the level of the seat."
- 7 To inebriate; to fill with drink. obsolete, transitive
"[…] I should be loath To meet the rudenesse, and swill’d insolence Of such late Wassailers;"
- 8 To feed swill to (pigs). transitive
"“Carlia, have you swilled the pigs?”"
Example
"Even the finest fete becomes mere hogs swill."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "swill"?
Common synonyms include: slop, slops, barley, beverage, bib, bilge.
How do you use "swill" in a sentence?
Even the finest fete becomes mere hogs swill.
How do you pronounce "swill"?
Pronounced /swɪl/.
Etymology
From Middle English swilen (“to wash; swirl; wash away”), from Old English swillan, swilian (“to wash; wash down; swill; gargle”), from Proto-West Germanic *swilljan, from Proto-Germanic *swiljaną (“to gulp, swallow”), from Proto-Indo-European *swel- (“to drink, gulp, swallow”). Related to swallow.