swallow

When something goes down your throat, you "swallow" it.

• Mike swallowed his coffee in large gulps.
• If your throat is sore, it feels good to swallow something soft and cold.
• The little boy swallowed a plastic toy and needed to be taken to the hospital.
• Sara was having trouble swallowing, so she went to see the doctor.
• It’s hard to swallow large capsules of medicine.
• My dog can swallow a hamburger in one gulp.
• If you try to swallow too much food at one time, you might choke.

He swallowed a mouse.

The word "swallow" is also found in some expressions. In this case, if you "swallow" something, you believe it to be true. The word "swallow" is also used when reading or listening to information.

• I find that very hard to swallow. (I don’t think that’s true.)
• This is too much information to swallow at one time.

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Published March 19, 2012