to take into the stomach by drawing through the throat and esophagus with a voluntary muscular action, as food, drink, or other substances.
to take in so as to envelop; withdraw from sight; assimilate or absorb: He was swallowed by the crowd.
to accept without question or suspicion.
to accept without opposition; put up with: to swallow an insult.
to accept for lack of an alternative: Consumers will have to swallow new price hikes.
to suppress (emotion, a laugh, a sob, etc.) as if by drawing it down one's throat.
to take back; retract: to swallow one's words.
to enunciate poorly; mutter: He swallowed his words.
verb (used without object)
to perform the act of swallowing.
noun
the act or an instance of swallowing.
a quantity swallowed at one time; a mouthful: Take one swallow of brandy.
capacity for swallowing.
Also called crown, throat. Nautical, Machinery. the space in a block, between the groove of the sheave and the shell, through which the rope runs.
Origin of swallow
1
before 1000; (v.) Middle English swalwen, variant of swelwen,Old English swelgan; cognate with German schwelgen; akin to Old Norse svelgja; (noun) Middle English swalwe, swolgh throat, abyss, whirlpool, Old English geswelgh (see y-); akin to Middle Low German swelch,Old High German swelgo glutton, Old Norse svelgr whirlpool, devourer
any of numerous small, long-winged passerine birds of the family Hirundinidae, noted for their swift, graceful flight and for the extent and regularity of their migrations.Compare bank swallow, barn swallow, martin.
any of several unrelated, swallowlike birds, as the chimney swift.
Origin of swallow
2
before 900; Middle English swalwe,Old English swealwe; cognate with German Schwalbe,Old Norse svala
For the Times, which had won four Pulitzer Prizes in 2013, the Snowden slip-up was a bitter pill to swallow.
Is The Guardian Holding Back The New York Times’ Snowden Stories?|Lloyd Grove|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even more difficult to swallow: Perry likes to put his name in front of a lot of his projects.
Gone Girl’s Biggest Twist Is the Superb Tyler Perry|Alex Suskind|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's a hard pill to swallow not because the show isn't good.
The Biggest Emmys Snubs and Surprises: 'Modern Family,' McConaughey, and More|Kevin Fallon|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jordan is in an even more delicate position, and a country that ISIS would dearly like to swallow.
How a Real Air War Could Demolish ISIS|Clive Irving|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Katy Perry as a squeamish conservative is a little hard to swallow.
Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus Kiss, Break Up, Make Up|Amy Zimmerman|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A connoisseur (again on reference behind the curtains) was one of those wealthy men who could swallow anything.
Bud|Neil Munro
With solid or crisp food there may be a good deal of hesitation and fumbling before he sets himself to masticate and swallow.
The Nervous Child|Hector Charles Cameron
The dodge, as the Tumbler said, was to make them swallow the affair under the guise of patriotism.
His Excellency the Minister|Jules Claretie
As the swallow flew near him, he seized him by the tail and tore away a little of it.
The Book of Nature Myths|Florence Holbrook
In the case of the former we swallow the animal, scarcely thinking of its animal nature.
The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier
British Dictionary definitions for swallow (1 of 2)
swallow1
/ (ˈswɒləʊ) /
verb(mainly tr)
to pass (food, drink, etc) through the mouth to the stomach by means of the muscular action of the oesophagus
(often foll by up)to engulf or destroy as if by ingestionNazi Germany swallowed up several small countries
informalto believe gulliblyhe will never swallow such an excuse
to refrain from uttering or manifestingto swallow one's disappointment
to endure without retaliation
to enunciate (words, etc) indistinctly; mutter
(often foll by down)to eat or drink reluctantly
(intr)to perform or simulate the act of swallowing, as in gulping
swallow one's wordsto retract a statement, argument, etc, often in humiliating circumstances
noun
the act of swallowing
the amount swallowed at any single time; mouthful
Also called: crown, throatnauticalthe opening between the shell and the groove of the sheave of a block, through which the rope is passed
rare another word for throat, gullet
rarea capacity for swallowing; appetite
Derived forms of swallow
swallowable, adjectiveswallower, noun
Word Origin for swallow
Old English swelgan; related to Old Norse svelga, Old High German swelgan to swallow, Swedish svalg gullet
British Dictionary definitions for swallow (2 of 2)
swallow2
/ (ˈswɒləʊ) /
noun
any passerine songbird of the family Hirundinidae, esp Hirundo rustica (common or barn swallow), having long pointed wings, a forked tail, short legs, and a rapid flightRelated adjective: hirundine
See fairy swallow
Derived forms of swallow
swallow-like, adjective
Word Origin for swallow
Old English swealwe; related to Old Frisian swale, Old Norse svala, Old High German swalwa