Swallow \Swal"low\, n. [OE. swalowe, AS. swalewe, swealwe; akin
   to D. zwaluw, OHG. swalawa, G. schwalbe, Icel. & Sw. svala,
   Dan. svale.]
   1. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of passerine birds of
      the family {Hirundinidae}, especially one of those species
      in which the tail is deeply forked. They have long,
      pointed wings, and are noted for the swiftness and
      gracefulness of their flight.
      
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   Note: The most common North American species are the barn
         swallow (see under {Barn}), the cliff, or eaves,
         swallow (see under {Cliff}), the white-bellied, or
         tree, swallow ({Tachycineta bicolor}), and the bank
         swallow (see under {Bank}). The common European swallow
         ({Chelidon rustica}), and the window swallow, or martin
         ({Chelidon urbica}), are familiar species.
         
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   2. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of swifts which
      resemble the true swallows in form and habits, as the
      common American chimney swallow, or swift.
      
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   3. (Naut.) The aperture in a block through which the rope
      reeves. --Ham. Nav. Encyc.
      
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   {Swallow plover} (Zool.), any one of several species of
      fork-tailed ploverlike birds of the genus {Glareola}, as
      {Glareola orientalis} of India; a pratincole.

   {Swallow shrike} (Zool.), any one of several species of East
      Indian and Asiatic birds of the family {Artamiidae},
      allied to the shrikes but similar to swallows in
      appearance and habits. The ashy swallow shrike ({Artamus  fuscus}) is common in India.

   {Swallow warbler} (Zool.), any one of numerous species of
      East Indian and Australian singing birds of the genus
      {Dicaeum}. They are allied to the honeysuckers.
      
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Swallow \Swal"low\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Swallowed}; p. pr. &
   vb. n. {Swallowing}.] [OE. swolewen, swolwen, swolhen, AS.
   swelgan; akin to D. zwelgen, OHG. swelahan, swelgan, G.
   schwelgen to feast, to revel, Icel. svelgia to swallow, SW.
   sv[aum]lja, Dan. svaelge. Cf. {Groundsel} a plant.]
   1. To take into the stomach; to receive through the gullet,
      or esophagus, into the stomach; as, to swallow food or
      drink.
      
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            As if I had swallowed snowballs for pills. --Shak.
      
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   2. To draw into an abyss or gulf; to ingulf; to absorb --
      usually followed by up. --Milton.
      
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            The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up,
            and their houses.                     --Num. xvi.
                                                  32.
      
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   3. To receive or embrace, as opinions or belief, without
      examination or scruple; to receive implicitly.
      
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            Though that story . . . be not so readily swallowed.
                                                  --Sir T.
                                                  Browne.
      
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   4. To engross; to appropriate; -- usually with up.
      
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            Homer excels . . . in this, that he swallowed up the
            honor of those who succeeded him.     --Pope.
      
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   5. To occupy; to take up; to employ.
      
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            The necessary provision of the life swallows the
            greatest part of their time.          --Locke.
      
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   6. To seize and waste; to exhaust; to consume.
      
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            Corruption swallowed what the liberal hand
            Of bounty scattered.                  --Thomson.
      
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   7. To retract; to recant; as, to swallow one's opinions.
      "Swallowed his vows whole." --Shak.
      
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   8. To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation;
      as, to swallow an affront or insult.
      
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   Syn: To absorb; imbibe; ingulf; engross; consume. See
        {Absorb}.
        
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Swallow \Swal"low\, v. i.
   To perform the act of swallowing; as, his cold is so severe
   he is unable to swallow.
   
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Swallow \Swal"low\, n.
   1. The act of swallowing.
      
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   2. The gullet, or esophagus; the throat.
      
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   3. Taste; relish; inclination; liking. [Colloq.]
      
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            I have no swallow for it.             --Massinger.
      
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   4. Capacity for swallowing; voracity.
      
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            There being nothing too gross for the swallow of
            political rancor.                     --Prof.
                                                  Wilson.
      
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   5. As much as is, or can be, swallowed at once; as, a swallow
      of water.
      
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   6. That which ingulfs; a whirlpool. [Obs.] --Fabyan.
      
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swallow
     n 1: a small amount of liquid food; "a sup of ale" [syn: {sup}]
     2: the act of swallowing; "one swallow of the liquid was
        enough"; "he took a drink of his beer and smacked his
        lips" [syn: {drink}, {deglutition}]
     3: small long-winged songbird noted for swift graceful flight
        and the regularity of its migrations
     v 1: pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking;
          "Swallow the raw fish--it won't kill you!" [syn: {get  down}]
     2: engulf and destroy; "The Nazis swallowed the Baltic
        countries"
     3: enclose or envelop completely, as if by swallowing; "The
        huge waves swallowed the small boat and it sank shortly
        thereafter" [syn: {immerse}, {swallow up}, {bury}, {eat up}]
     4: utter indistinctly; "She swallowed the last words of her
        speech"
     5: take back what one has said; "He swallowed his words" [syn:
        {take back}, {unsay}, {withdraw}]
     6: keep from expressing; "I swallowed my anger and kept quiet"
     7: tolerate or accommodate oneself to; "I shall have to accept
        these unpleasant working conditions"; "I swallowed the
        insult"; "She has learned to live with her husband's
        little idiosyncracies" [syn: {accept}, {live with}]
     8: believe or accept without questioning or challenge; "Am I
        supposed to swallow that story?"

215 Moby Thesaurus words for "swallow":
   abide, abjure, ablate, absorb, accede, accept, accept for gospel,
   accept implicitly, acquiesce, allow, and sinker, antelope, arrow,
   assent, assimilate, back down, back out, backwater, be a sucker,
   be agreeable, be certain, be taken in, bear with, beard, believe,
   believe without reservation, bite, bleed white, blue darter,
   blue streak, bolus, brook, burn up, buy, cannonball, champ, chaw,
   chew, chomp, climb down, comply, conquer, consent, consume,
   control, courser, crawfish out, credit, cud, dart, deny, deplete,
   devour, digest, disavow, disclaim, disown, dispatch, dispose of,
   disregard, down, drain, drain of resources, drink, drinking, drop,
   eagle, eat, eat crow, eat humble pie, eat up, eating, electricity,
   endure, engorge, engorgement, engulf, engulfment, erode, exhaust,
   expend, express train, face the music, fall for, finish,
   finish off, flash, forswear, fumble, gazelle, get away with,
   get down, give faith to, gnash, go, go along with, go for, gob,
   gobble, gobble up, greased lightning, greyhound, gulp, gulp down,
   gulping, guzzle, hare, ignore, imbibe, imbibition, impoverish,
   ingest, ingestion, ingurgitate, ingurgitation, jet plane,
   knock under, knuckle down, knuckle under, lap up, light, lightning,
   line, live with it, mercury, morsel, mouthful, muddle, munch,
   murmur, mutter, nibble, nip, not resist, obey, overcome, pack away,
   pocket, pocket the affront, put away, put faith in, quaff,
   quicksilver, quid, quilt, recant, receive, relent, renege,
   renounce, repress, repudiate, resign, retract, revoke, rocket,
   scared rabbit, set store by, shot, sip, slurp, smother, snap,
   spend, squander, stand, stifle, stomach, streak,
   streak of lightning, striped snake, submit, succumb, suck dry, sup,
   suppress, surround, swallow an insult, swallow anything,
   swallow hook, swallow it, swallow the pill, swallow up,
   swallow whole, swallowing, swig, swill, swill down, swing at, take,
   take back, take down, take for granted, take in, take it,
   take on faith, take on trust, take stock in, take the bait,
   thought, thunderbolt, tolerate, torrent, toss, trust, tuck in,
   tumble for, turn aside provocation, unsay, use up, waste away,
   wear away, wind, withdraw, wolf down

Swallow
   (1.) Heb. sis (Isa. 38:14; Jer. 8:7), the Arabic for the swift,
   which "is a regular migrant, returning in myriads every spring,
   and so suddenly that while one day not a swift can be seen in
   the country, on the next they have overspread the whole land,
   and fill the air with their shrill cry." The swift (cypselus) is
   ordinarily classed with the swallow, which it resembles in its
   flight, habits, and migration.
   
     (2.) Heb. deror, i.e., "the bird of freedom" (Ps. 84:3; Prov.
   26:2), properly rendered swallow, distinguished for its
   swiftness of flight, its love of freedom, and the impossibility
   of retaining it in captivity. In Isa. 38:14 and Jer. 8:7 the
   word thus rendered ('augr) properly means "crane" (as in the
   R.V.).