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
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Birds such as swifts, swallows, sparrows, and starlings, which make their nests in the eaves of roofs, have been particularly affected by abnormally high temperatures, said Romaine de Jaegere, founder of the Center for the Rehabilitation of Animals Living in the Wild refuge in Temploux, in Belgium.
—
Makini Brice,
USA Today,
23 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
In April, hundreds of viewers watched the two-week-old eaglet swallow a fishhook that one of its parents had fed it.
—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Birds such as swifts, swallows, sparrows, and starlings, which make their nests in the eaves of roofs, have been particularly affected by abnormally high temperatures, said Romaine de Jaegere, founder of the Center for the Rehabilitation of Animals Living in the Wild refuge in Temploux, in Belgium.
—
Makini Brice,
USA Today,
23 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 5 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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