A Quick and Simple Dictionary

swallow

1. Verb.  (transitive) To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat. (defdate, from 11th c.) .
2. Verb.  (transitive) To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb. (defdate, from 13th c.) .
3. Verb.  (intransitive) To take food down into the stomach; to make the muscular contractions of the oesophagus to achieve this, often taken as a sign of nervousness or strong emotion. (defdate, from 18th c.) .
4. Verb.  (transitive) To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept. (defdate, from 16th c.) .
5. Noun.  (archaic) A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
6. Noun.  The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing.
7. Noun.  A small, migratory bird of the Hirundinidae family with long, pointed, moon-shaped wings and a forked tail which feeds on the wing by catching insects.