What does swallow mean?
Word: Swallow
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Swallow means to make food or drink go down your throat into your stomach. As a noun, a swallow is also a small bird with long pointed wings that swoops after insects.
Synonyms: gobble
Antonyms: spit
How do you spell swallow?
Syllables: swal - low
Tricky part: The vowel after sw sounds like o but is written with an a, as in swan and wash.
Watch out for: swollow, swallo
Memory tip: Think of a swan swooping low: swa starts both swan and swallow, with an a, not an o.
Idioms and Phrases
- swallow your pride: To do something even though it makes you feel embarrassed or less important. Example: "Amit swallowed his pride and said sorry to his friend."
Swallow in a sentence
Example 1: Chew your food well before you swallow it.
Example 2: The tablet was too big to swallow, so Mum broke it in two.
Example 3: A swallow swooped low over the paddy field.
Fun Fact
Many swallows fly thousands of kilometres every year between their summer and winter homes; barn swallows from Europe spend the winter in Africa.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) peacok
b) pegion
c) sparow
d) swallow
Show answer
d) swallow. Sparrow doubles its r, pigeon has ge and peacock ends in ck; swallow is spelt right.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Grandpa took a sip of warm water to help him swallow the bitter medecine.
a) bitter
b) medecine
c) water
d) swallow
Show answer
b) medecine. Medicine has an i after the d.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
swallow
a) nibble
b) lick
c) bite
d) gulp
Show answer
d) gulp. To gulp is to swallow fast; you nibble, lick or bite food before it ever goes down.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letter to form a word:
swal_ow
a) o
b) w
c) l
d) e
Show answer
c) l. Swallow has a double l before the ow, as follow and hollow do.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where does food go just after you swallow it?
a) into the windpipe
b) into the lungs
c) into the food pipe
d) up into the nose
Show answer
c) into the food pipe
2. A swallow is a bird known for its ____.
a) deeply forked tail
b) bright red crest
c) long curved beak
d) large webbed feet
Show answer
a) deeply forked tail
