26984 words

swallowed

7 definitions • 10 examples
1
past simple and past participle of
2
to cause food, drink, pills, etc. to move from your mouth into your stomach by using the muscles of your throat:

Examples:

My throat is so sore that it really hurts when I swallow.
He put a grape into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
3
to use the muscles of your throat, as if moving something from your mouth into your stomach, because you are nervous or frightened, or are about to say something:

Examples:

He swallowed hard and said, "Dad, I have something to tell you."
4
If something large swallows (up) another thing, it makes it disappear or stop existing separately by making it part of itself:

Examples:

An increasing amount of the countryside is being swallowed (up) by the town.
Many small businesses have been swallowed (up) by large companies.
5
to use or take away a large part of something valuable:

Examples:

Taxes have swallowed up nearly half of my pay increase.
6
to accept something without question or without expressing disagreement:

Examples:

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).
7
to not express or show something:

Examples:

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

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