swallow
gb/swˈɑloʊ/ us/swˈɑloʊ/
A2
English
~ 1300
lenyel, visszafojt, félreteszi a büszkeségét, fecske, eltűr, tudomásul vesz
VERB
A2
1
lenyel
A2
Usage pattern:
to swallow [food/drink]
She swallowed the last bite of her sandwich.
Lenyelte az utolsó falatot a szendvicséből.
He took a sip of water and swallowed it quickly.
Ivott egy korty vizet, és gyorsan lenyelte.
It was hard to swallow the large pill without water.
The medicine should be swallowed whole, not chewed.
Learner examples
I swallow my food slowly.
Lassan nyelem le az ételt.
Please swallow the pill with water.
Kérlek, vízzel nyeld le a tablettát.
He swallowed the bread quickly.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'swallow' with 'sip' — 'sip' means to take a small amount into the mouth, not necessarily to send it to the stomach.
Meaning
Make food or drink go down
Collocations
swallow hard
|swallow quickly
|swallow whole
|swallow pills
Synonyms
ingest (More formal or technical; often used in scientific or medical contexts.)
Antonyms
spit out (Means to force something out of the mouth instead of letting it go down the throat.)
Themes
daily life
|health
|body
Definition
To make food or drink go from your mouth to your stomach.
To cause food, drink, or another substance in the mouth to move down the throat into the stomach.
VERB
B1
2
Usage pattern:
to swallow [emotion/reaction]
She swallowed her pride and asked for help.
Félretette a büszkeségét, és segítséget kért.
He swallowed his anger and smiled politely.
Visszafojtotta a haragját, és udvariasan mosolygott.
I had to swallow my disappointment when I didn’t get the job.
Learner examples
He swallowed his anger.
Visszafojtotta a haragját.
I swallowed my pride and said sorry.
Félretettem a büszkeségemet, és bocsánatot kértem.
She swallowed her fear and went on stage.
Common mistake:
Learners may take this literally when it is used figuratively for emotions.
Meaning
Hold back emotion or reaction
Collocations
swallow pride
|swallow anger
|swallow disappointment
Synonyms
suppress (More formal and general; can apply to emotions, actions, or information.)
Antonyms
express (To openly show feelings instead of holding them back.)
Themes
emotions
|communication
Definition
To stop yourself from showing how you feel.
To try to stop yourself from showing a strong emotion such as anger, sadness, or nervousness.
NOUN
B1
3
fecske
A2
A swallow flew over the field.
Egy fecske repült át a mező fölött.
Every spring, swallows return to nest in our barn.
A fecskék minden tavasszal visszatérnek, hogy a pajtánkban fészkeljenek.
The sky was full of swallows at dusk.
Learner examples
I saw a swallow in the sky.
Láttam egy fecskét az égen.
The swallow is flying fast.
A fecske gyorsan repül.
Swallows come in summer.
Meaning
Small migratory bird
Collocations
barn swallow
|flock of swallows
Synonyms
martin (A closely related type of bird; not exactly the same species.)
Themes
nature
|animals
Definition
A small bird with long wings and a tail that looks like it has two parts.
A small, fast-flying bird with long pointed wings and a forked tail, found worldwide and known for long migrations.
VERB
B2
4
Usage pattern:
to swallow [criticism/insult/truth]
He had to swallow the criticism from his boss.
Kénytelen volt eltűrni a főnökétől kapott kritikát.
She swallowed the insult and changed the subject.
Lenyelte a sértést, és témát váltott.
Sometimes you just have to swallow the truth and move on.
Learner examples
She swallowed the bad news.
Tudomásul vette a rossz hírt.
He swallowed the insult.
Lenyelte a sértést.
I swallowed the truth and stayed quiet.
Meaning
Accept something unpleasant silently
Collocations
swallow criticism
|swallow an insult
Synonyms
endure (Focuses more on continuing through difficulty; less about lack of protest.)
Antonyms
object (To speak against something you do not accept.)
Themes
emotions
|social
|communication
Definition
To accept something bad without saying anything.
To accept something difficult, unpleasant, or unfair without showing protest.
Grammar
Dictionary form
swallow
IPA
GB/swˈɑloʊ/
US/swˈɑloʊ/
Syllables & stress
swal - low (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (swal)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: swallow
- Plural: swallows
Verb
- Base: swallow
- 3rd Person Singular: swallows
- Present Participle: swallowing
- Past: swallowed
Word family
Forms
swallows
noun
swallowing
verb
swallowed
verb
Related words
swallowable
adjective
Expressions
hard to swallow
1/hˈɑɹd tə swˈɑloʊ/
idiom
Difficult to believe or accept
Something that is hard to believe or accept.
Examples
- His excuse was hard to swallow.
- The news about the closure was hard to swallow for many employees.
swallow up
1/swˈɑloʊ ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
Absorb completely; take over fully
To take in or cover something completely so it cannot be seen or separate anymore.
Examples
- The larger company swallowed up its smaller rival.
- The waves swallowed up the boat.
swallow whole
1/swˈɑloʊ hˈoʊl/
fixed phrase
Take in completely without question/chewing
To eat something without chewing, or to believe something without thinking about it carefully.
Examples
- The snake swallowed the mouse whole.
- You shouldn’t just swallow whole everything you read online.
swallow your pride
1/swˈɑloʊ jˈʊɹ pɹˈaɪd/
idiom
Do something despite embarrassment
To do something even though it makes you feel embarrassed or less important.
Examples
- I had to swallow my pride and ask for directions.
- She swallowed her pride and apologized first.