swallow
gb/swˈɑloʊ/ us/swˈɑloʊ/
A2
English
~ 1300
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Make food or drink go down
To make food or drink go from your mouth to your stomach.
Usage pattern:
to swallow [food/drink]
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.
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.)
Collocations
swallow hard
|swallow quickly
|swallow whole
|swallow pills
Themes
daily life
|health
|body
Examples
- She swallowed the last bite of her sandwich.
- He took a sip of water and swallowed it quickly.
- 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.
- Please swallow the pill with water.
- He swallowed the bread quickly.
Verb
B1
action
2
Hold back emotion or reaction
To stop yourself from showing how you feel.
Usage pattern:
to swallow [emotion/reaction]
Common mistake:
Learners may take this literally when it is used figuratively for emotions.
Synonyms
suppress (More formal and general; can apply to emotions, actions, or information.)
Antonyms
express (To openly show feelings instead of holding them back.)
Collocations
swallow pride
|swallow anger
|swallow disappointment
Themes
emotions
|communication
Examples
- She swallowed her pride and asked for help.
- He swallowed his anger and smiled politely.
- I had to swallow my disappointment when I didn’t get the job.
Learner examples
- He swallowed his anger.
- I swallowed my pride and said sorry.
- She swallowed her fear and went on stage.
Noun
B1
entity
3
Small migratory bird
A small bird with long wings and a tail that looks like it has two parts.
Synonyms
martin (A closely related type of bird; not exactly the same species.)
Collocations
barn swallow
|flock of swallows
Themes
nature
|animals
Examples
- A swallow flew over the field.
- Every spring, swallows return to nest in our barn.
- The sky was full of swallows at dusk.
Learner examples
- I saw a swallow in the sky.
- The swallow is flying fast.
- Swallows come in summer.
Verb
B2
action
4
Accept something unpleasant silently
To accept something bad without saying anything.
Usage pattern:
to swallow [criticism/insult/truth]
Synonyms
endure (Focuses more on continuing through difficulty; less about lack of protest.)
Antonyms
object (To speak against something you do not accept.)
Collocations
swallow criticism
|swallow an insult
Themes
emotions
|social
|communication
Examples
- He had to swallow the criticism from his boss.
- She swallowed the insult and changed the subject.
- Sometimes you just have to swallow the truth and move on.
Learner examples
- She swallowed the bad news.
- He swallowed the insult.
- I swallowed the truth and stayed quiet.
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.