Meaning of swallow In English

• 0 to cause food, drink, pills, etc. to move from your mouth into your stomach by using the muscles of your throat:

  • My throat is so sore that it really hurts when I swallow.

  • He put a grape into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

  • He swallowed hard and said, "Dad, I have something to tell you."

• 1 If something large swallows (up) another thing, it makes it disappear or stop existing separately by making it part of itself:

  • An increasing amount of the countryside is being swallowed (up) by the town.

  • Many small businesses have been swallowed (up) by large companies.

  • Taxes have swallowed up nearly half of my pay increase.

• 2 to accept something without question or without expressing disagreement:

  • Not surprisingly, this excuse was too much for them to swallow.

  • He swallowed her story whole.

  • She swallowed his sales pitch hook, line, and sinker (= believed it completely).

• 3 to not express or show something:

  • She swallowed her disappointment, saying, "That's OK, it doesn't matter."

• 4 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:

  • He gave a swallow, then began speaking.

• 5 a small bird with pointed wings and a tail with two points that flies quickly and catches insects to eat as it flies

• 6 to force food or liquid in your mouth to move into your stomach by use of the muscles of your throat:

  • [ I ] My throat is so sore that it really hurts when I swallow.

• 7 to accept something without question or without expressing disagreement:

  • Not surprisingly, this excuse was too much for them to swallow.

• 8 not to express or show feelings or emotions:

  • I swallowed my anger and tried to be friendly.

• 9 any of various types of small bird with pointed wings and a tail shaped like a fork, which flies quickly, catching insects

• 10 the act of forcing food or liquid in your mouth to move into your stomach, or an amount taken into your stomach at one time :

  • He said he only wanted one swallow of milk – but it was a big one!

• 11 if an activity or process swallows or swallows up a lot of resources, it uses a lot of time, money, or people:

  • The luxury brand swallowed over $3 billion in its first ten years of being taken over.

  • High house prices mean that a much larger percentage of a family's income is now being swallowed up by the mortgage.

• 12 if a company swallows or swallows up a smaller one, it buys it and makes it part of its own business:

  • The small family firm was at risk of getting swallowed up by foreign competitors.

• 13 to accept something without doubting or questioning it:

  • The MP expenses scandal revealed abuses that the taxpayer could not swallow.