Illustration of swallow
- swallow 1
swal·low
ˈswä-(ˌ)lō 
swallowed; swallowing; swallows
1
: to take through the mouth and esophagus into the stomach
2
: to envelop or take in as if by swallowing : absorb
swallow the financial loss
watch night swallow the valley
3
: to accept without question, protest, or resentment
swallow an insult
a hard story to swallow
5
: to keep from expressing or showing : repress
swallowed my anger
6
: to utter (words) indistinctly
1
: to receive something into the body through the mouth and esophagus
2
: to perform the action characteristic of swallowing something especially under emotional stress
1
: the passage connecting the mouth to the stomach
2
: a capacity for swallowing
3
a
: an act of swallowing
b
: an amount that can be swallowed at one time
1
: any of numerous small widely distributed oscine birds (family Hirundinidae, the swallow family) that have a short bill, long pointed wings, and often a deeply forked tail and that feed on insects caught on the wing
2
: any of several birds that superficially resemble swallows
Examples of swallow in a Sentence
Verb
He swallowed the grape whole.
Chew your food well before you swallow.
The boss said, “Come in.” I swallowed hard and walked in.
Her story is pretty hard to swallow.
I can usually take criticism, but this is more than I can swallow.
Noun (1)
drank the cool refreshing water in two swallows and held out her cup for more
Recent Examples on the Web
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
3 July 2026
Esophagus During a contest, swallowing occurs almost continuously as large amounts of food and water repeatedly stretch the esophagus.
—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
4 July 2026
Over time, people with ALS can lose the ability to move, speak, swallow and eventually breathe on their own.
—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for swallow
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The commission said there were four reports of consumers seeking medical treatment after swallowing the metal bristles, and customers were advised to stop using the products and request a replacement nylon grill brush.
—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
3 July 2026
Esophagus During a contest, swallowing occurs almost continuously as large amounts of food and water repeatedly stretch the esophagus.
—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Noun
The afflicted slowly lose their ability to walk, talk, eat, dress, write, swallow and, eventually, breathe.
—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
4 July 2026
Over time, people with ALS can lose the ability to move, speak, swallow and eventually breathe on their own.
—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for swallow
Cite this Entry
“Swallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swallow. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swallow
1 of 3 noun
swal·low
ˈswäl-ō
1
: any of a family of small birds that have long pointed wings and usually a deeply forked tail and that feed on insects caught while in flight
2
: any of several birds that look like true swallows
swallow
2 of 3 verb1
a
: to take into the stomach through the mouth and throat
b
: to perform the actions used in swallowing something
clear your throat and swallow before answering
2
: to take in as if by swallowing : engulf
3
: to accept or believe without question, protest, or anger
a hard story to swallow
4
: to keep from expressing or showing : repress
swallowed my anger
swallow
3 of 3 noun1
: an act of swallowing
2
: an amount that can be swallowed at one time
Etymology
Noun
Old English swealwe "the swallow"
Verb
Old English swelgan "to swallow"
Medical Definition
swallow
1 of 2 transitive verb
swal·low
ˈswäl-(ˌ)ō
: to take through the mouth and esophagus into the stomach
: to receive something into the body through the mouth and esophagus
swallow
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of swallowing
2
: an amount that can be swallowed at one time
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