Definition of swallow - Reverso English Dictionary
Verb
1.
ingesttr./intr. move food or drink from mouth to stomachtr./intr.
- She swallowed the pill with a glass of water.
2.
gullibilitytr. believe or accept without questiontr.
- I can't swallow his ridiculous excuses anymore..
3.
self controltr. suppress emotions or wordstr.
- He swallowed his pride and apologized.
4.
endurancetr. endure something without complainttr.
- She had to swallow her anger during the meeting.
5.
body reflexintr. make a movement in the throat when nervousintr.
- He swallowed hard before speaking to the crowd.
6.
foodtr. Rare engulf or consume entirelytr. Rare
- The dark clouds seemed to swallow the sun.
Noun
1.
consumptionthe amount of liquid taken in one gulp
- She drank a swallow of juice.
2.
birdsmall bird with pointed wings and a forked tail
- A swallow flew gracefully across the sky.
3.
maritimeTECH. the opening in a pulley block for the ropeTECH.
- The rope passed through the swallow of the block.
Images of swallow
small bird with pointed wings and a forked tail 
the opening in a pulley block for the rope
Expressions with swallow
💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
endure insults without responding or reacting outwardly
She had to swallow insults during the meeting.
prepare mentally to face something difficult
She swallowed hard and entered the principal's office.
suppress ego to achieve a greater goal
He had to swallow pride and apologize to her.
take over an entity so it loses identity
The small company was swallowed up by the giant corporation.
hard to ingest due to size or taste
The large pill was difficult to swallow.
not difficult to ingest
The medicine is easy to swallow.
take medicine in pill form
She had to swallow the pill to relieve her headache.
accept an unpleasant situation
He had to swallow the bitter pill of losing his job.
accept something humiliating or embarrassing
If you were wrong, swallow your pride and admit it.
difficult to believe or accept
His excuse for being late was hard to swallow.
one event does not prove a general rule or trend
Remember, one swallow does not make a summer.
express that one example is not enough to conclude something
One swallow doesn't make a summer, so don't assume the trend will continue.
overwhelm me completely
The fear seemed to swallow me whole.
refrain from expressing anger
He swallowed his anger and apologized.
do something despite feeling embarrassed
She swallowed her pride and asked for help.
retract something said
He had to swallow his words after the project succeeded.
accept a deception or trick
He swallowed the bait and believed the fake news.
eat or drink everything that is given or available
He was so hungry he could swallow the lot!
accept a story as true without questioning
She swallowed the story about the lost treasure.
accept or endure something unpleasant or difficult
Sometimes you have to swallow a bitter pill at work.
become speechless due to shock or surprise
He almost swallowed his tongue when he saw the bill.
endure emotional pain without complaint
He swallowed his bitterness and continued to work with a smile.
eat something without chewing or breaking it up
He can swallow whole grapes easily.
something difficult to accept or deal with
Losing the championship was a tough pill to swallow for the team.
Origin of swallow
Old English, swelgan (to swallow)
Terms with swallow included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
consume food
put food in mouth, chew, and swallow
medical
small solid medicine or vitamin to swallow
medical
swallow a medicinal tablet
swallowing
swallow quickly or in large amounts
drinking eating
all at once without stopping to swallow again
eating
drink a liquid to help swallow food
drinking
drink a swallow of a beverage
difficulty
be difficult to swallow or accept
medical
large pill difficult to swallow
medical
make a person swallow food medicine or another substance against their will
eating
swallow
drinking
quickly swallow liquid
eating drinking
in a single swallow or without stopping
eating
swallow something with difficulty or reluctance
food
swallow or eat something even if it is hard
swallowing mistake
to swallow food or drink into the windpipe by mistake
drink or eat
swallow liquid or food quickly to keep it down
medicine consumption
swallow or ingest something so it goes inside the body
swallow
small migratory bird with a white underside and forked tail
bird
largest North American swallow, male is blue-black
consumption
engulf or swallow up completely
drinking
in one continuous swallow or gulp
drinking
in a single swallow or gulp without stopping
migratory bird
small swallow that migrates and nests in sand or clay banks
Examples of swallow in a sentence
The bird swallowed the insect whole. She tends to swallow every rumor she hears. Don't just swallow everything the media tells you. She swallowed her anger and remained silent. He had to swallow his disappointment and move on. He had to swallow his pride and apologize.
They swallowed their disappointment and moved on. She swallowed nervously before entering the interview room. He swallowed his fear and approached the stage. The wildfire swallowed several empty cabins. Fog swallowed the harbor by midnight. He took a quick swallow of water before speaking. A swallow of the medicine was all she needed. The swallow built a nest under the eaves. We watched a swallow darting over the lake. The sailor checked the swallow for any obstructions. A frayed rope got stuck in the swallow.
View all translations of swallow
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:avaler, gorgée, ...
- German:schlucken, Schluck, ...
- Italian:ingerire, sorso, ...
- Spanish:tragar, trago, ...
- Portuguese:engolir, gole, ...
- Chinese:吞下, 一口, ...
- Japanese:飲み込む, 一口, ...
- Arabic:بَلَعَ, جُرْعَة, ...
- Hebrew:לִבְלוֹעַ, לְגִימָה, ...
- Russian:глотать, глоток, ...
- Ukrainian:ковтати, ковток, ...
- Hindi:निगलना, घूंट, ...
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