Definitions for: Swallow


[n] the act of swallowing; "one swallow of the liquid was enough"; "he took a drink of his beer and smacked his lips"
[n] small long-winged songbird noted for swift graceful flight and the regularity of its migrations
[n] a small amount of liquid food; "a sup of ale"
[v] believe or accept without questioning or challenge; "Am I supposed to swallow that story?"
[v] tolerate or accommodate oneself to; "I shall have to accept these unpleasant working conditions"; "I swallowed the insult"; "She has learned to live with her husband's little idiosyncracies"
[v] keep from expressing; "I swallowed my anger and kept quiet"
[v] take back what one has said; "He swallowed his words"
[v] utter indistinctly; "She swallowed the last words of her speech"
[v] engulf and destroy, as if by ingestion; "The Nazis swallowed the Baltic countries"
[v] pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking; "Swallow the raw fish--it won't kill you!"
[v] enclose or envelop completely, as if by swallowing; "The huge waves swallowed the small boat and it sank shortly thereafter"



Webster (1913) Definition: Swal"low, n. [OE. swalowe, AS. swalewe, swealwe; akin
to D. zwaluw, OHG. swalawa, G. schwalbe, Icel. & Sw. svala,
Dan. svale.]
1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of passerine birds
of the family Hirundinid[ae], especially one of those
species in which the tail is deeply forked. They have
long, pointed wings, and are noted for the swiftness and
gracefulness of their flight.

Note: The most common North American species are the barn
swallow (see under Barn), the cliff, or eaves,
swallow (see under Cliff), the white-bellied, or
tree, swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), and the bank
swallow (see under Bank). The common European swallow
(Chelidon rustica), and the window swallow, or martin
(Chelidon urbica), are familiar species.

2. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of swifts which
resemble the true swallows in form and habits, as the
common American chimney swallow, or swift.

3. (Naut.) The aperture in a block through which the rope
reeves. --Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Swallow plover (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of
fork-tailed ploverlike birds of the genus Glareola, as
G. orientalis of India; a pratincole.

Swallow shrike (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of
East Indian and Asiatic birds of the family
Artamiid[ae], allied to the shrikes but similar to
swallows in appearance and habits. The ashy swallow shrike
(Artamus fuscus) is common in India.

Swallow warbler (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of
East Indian and Australian singing birds of the genus
Dic[ae]um. They are allied to the honeysuckers.


Swal"low, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swallowed; p. pr. &
vb. n. Swallowing.] [OE. swolewen, swolwen, swolhen, AS.
swelgan; akin to D. zwelgen, OHG. swelahan, swelgan, G.
schwelgen to feast, to revel, Icel. svelgia to swallow, SW.
sv["a]lja, Dan. sv[ae]lge. Cf. Groundsel a plant.]
1. To take into the stomach; to receive through the gullet,
or esophagus, into the stomach; as, to swallow food or
drink.

As if I had swallowed snowballs for pills. --Shak.

2. To draw into an abyss or gulf; to ingulf; to absorb --
usually followed by up. --Milton.

The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up,
and their houses. --Num. xvi.
32.

3. To receive or embrace, as opinions or belief, without
examination or scruple; to receive implicitly.

Though that story . . . be not so readily swallowed.
--Sir T.
Browne.

4. To engross; to appropriate; -- usually with up.

Homer excels . . . in this, that he swallowed up the
honor of those who succeeded him. --Pope.

5. To occupy; to take up; to employ.

The necessary provision of the life swallows the
greatest part of their time. --Locke.

6. To seize and waste; to exhaust; to consume.

Corruption swallowed what the liberal hand Of bounty
scattered. --Thomson.

7. To retract; to recant; as, to swallow one's opinions.
``Swallowed his vows whole.'' --Shak.

8. To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation;
as, to swallow an affront or insult.

Syn: To absorb; imbibe; ingulf; engross; consume. See
Absorb.


Swal"low, v. i.
To perform the act of swallowing; as, his cold is so severe
he is unable to swallow.


Swal"low, n.
1. The act of swallowing.

2. The gullet, or esophagus; the throat.

3. Taste; relish; inclination; liking. [Colloq.]

I have no swallow for it. --Massinger.

4. Capacity for swallowing; voracity.

There being nothing too gross for the swallow of
political rancor. --Prof.
Wilson.

5. As much as is, or can be, swallowed at once; as, a swallow
of water.

6. That which ingulfs; a whirlpool. [Obs.] --Fabyan.

Synonyms: accept, bury, deglutition, drink, eat up, engross, get down, immerse, live with, sup, swallow up, take back, unsay, withdraw

See Also: abide, aerophagia, barn swallow, bear, believe, bolt, brook, chimney swallow, cliff swallow, consume, consumption, demolish, destroy, draft, draught, enclose, endure, gulp, have, Hirundo nigricans, Hirundo pyrrhonota, Hirundo rustica, inclose, ingest, ingestion, intake, Iridoprocne bicolor, martin, mouth, mouthful, nip, oscine, oscine bird, put up, renounce, repress, repudiate, shut in, sip, speak, stand, stomach, suffer, support, suppress, swig, take, take in, talk, taste, tolerate, tree martin, tree swallow, uptake, utter, verbalise, verbalize, white-bellied swallow

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