swallowverb
uk/ˈswɒl.əʊ/us/ˈswɑː.loʊ/swallow verb (THROAT)
B2 [ I or T ] to cause food, drink, pills, etc. to move from your mouth into your stomach by using the muscles of your throat:
[ I ] to use the muscles of your throat, as if moving something from your mouth into your stomach, because you are nervous or frightened, or are about to say something:
More examples
- Jamie's always had trouble swallowing pills.
- He swallowed his drink in one gulp.
- You'll give yourself indigestion if you swallow your dinner so quickly.
- Keep a lookout for small objects that a baby might swallow.
- Because I'm a bad swimmer, I often go under and swallow a lot of water.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Eating
- al desko
- ate
- binge
- binge eating
- bite
- consume
- feast
- feast on sth
- feeder
- feeding
- finish
- gorge
- pig out
- put sth away
- scarf
- scoff
- shovel sth into your mouth idiom
- stoke
- trough
- tuck
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swallow verb (TAKE AWAY)
[ T ] If something large swallows (up) another thing, it makes it disappear or stop existing separately by making it part of itself:
[ T ] to use or take away a large part of something valuable:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Enclosing, surrounding and immersing
- beleaguer
- beleaguered
- beset
- border
- box sb/sth in
- dunk
- fence sth in
- fence sth off
- flood
- flooding
- gather
- gift-wrap
- gift-wrapped
- steep
- surround
- wall sth off
- wound 1
- wrap
- wrap (sb) up
- wrap sth around sb/sth
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
swallow verb (ACCEPT)
C2 [ T ] informal to accept something without question or without expressing disagreement:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Believing
- article of faith
- ascribe sth to sb
- belief
- believe
- believe in sth
- credit
- evidently
- feel
- feel it in your bones idiom
- give sb the benefit of the doubt idiom
- gospel
- incline to/towards sth
- see sth in sb/sth
- seeing is believing idiom
- self-delusion
- stock
- swear by sth
- take sb's word for it idiom
- under
- word
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
swallow verb (NOT EXPRESS)
C2 [ T ] to not express or show something:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Controlling emotions
- bottle
- bottle sth up
- brave
- breaking point
- choke
- choke sth back
- collected
- compose
- cork
- emotional blackmail idiom
- frustrated
- give voice to sth idiom
- gulp sth back
- harden
- put on a brave face idiom
- repress
- repressed
- self-possession
- steadily
- temperate
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Idiom(s)
swallownoun [ C ]
uk/ˈswɒl.əʊ/us/ˈswɑː.loʊ/swallow noun [ C ] (THROAT)
an act of using the muscles of your throat, or the amount of something you move into your stomach from your mouth by using the muscles of your throat:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Eating
- al desko
- ate
- binge
- binge eating
- bite
- consume
- feast
- feast on sth
- feeder
- feeding
- finish
- gorge
- pig out
- put sth away
- scarf
- scoff
- shovel sth into your mouth idiom
- stoke
- trough
- tuck
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swallow noun [ C ] (BIRD)
a small bird with pointed wings and a tail with two points that flies quickly and catches insects to eat as it flies
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Other wild birds
- bird of paradise
- blackbird
- blue tit
- bluebird
- bluejay
- honeyeater
- house martin
- house sparrow
- hummingbird
- Indian mynah
- martin
- mockingbird
- mynah
- nightingale
- oriole
- squab
- starling
- swift
- toucan
- turtle dove
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