swallow
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.
To stop yourself from showing how you feel.
To try to stop yourself from showing a strong emotion such as anger, sadness, or nervousness.
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.
To accept something bad without saying anything.
To accept something difficult, unpleasant, or unfair without showing protest.
- Base: swallow
- Plural: swallows
- Base: swallow
- 3rd Person Singular: swallows
- Present Participle: swallowing
- Past: swallowed
hard to swallow
1Difficult to believe or accept
Something that is hard to believe or accept.
- His excuse was hard to swallow.
- The news about the closure was hard to swallow for many employees.
swallow up
1Absorb completely; take over fully
To take in or cover something completely so it cannot be seen or separate anymore.
- The larger company swallowed up its smaller rival.
- The waves swallowed up the boat.
swallow whole
1Take in completely without question/chewing
To eat something without chewing, or to believe something without thinking about it carefully.
- The snake swallowed the mouse whole.
- You shouldn’t just swallow whole everything you read online.
swallow your pride
1Do something despite embarrassment
To do something even though it makes you feel embarrassed or less important.
- I had to swallow my pride and ask for directions.
- She swallowed her pride and apologized first.