What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Swallow vs Wallow - What's the difference?

swallow | wallow |

In intransitive terms the difference between swallow and wallow

is that swallow is 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 while wallow is to live in filth or gross vice; to behave in a beastly and unworthy manner.

As verbs the difference between swallow and wallow

is that swallow is to cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat while wallow is to roll oneself about, as in mire; to tumble and roll about; to move lazily or heavily in any medium; to flounder; as, swine wallow in the mire.

As nouns the difference between swallow and wallow

is that swallow is a deep chasm or abyss in the earth while wallow is an instance of wallowing.

As an adjective wallow is

tasteless, flat.

swallow

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) swolowen, swolwen, . See also (l). The noun is from late (etyl) , from the verb.

Alternative forms

* (l), (l) (obsolete)

Verb

(en verb)
  • To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.
  • * 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 4:
    • What the liquor was I do not know, but it was not so strong but that I could swallow it in great gulps and found it less burning than my burning throat.
  • * 2011 , Jonathan Jones, The Guardian , 21 Apr 2011:
    • Clothes are to be worn and food is to be swallowed : they remain trapped in the physical world.
  • To take (something) in so that it disappears; to consume, absorb.
  • * John Locke
    • The necessary provision of the life swallows the greatest part of their time.
  • * 2010 , "What are the wild waves saying", The Economist , 28 Oct 2010:
    • His body, like so many others swallowed by the ocean’s hungry maw, was never found.
  • 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.
    • My throat was so sore that I was unable to swallow .
  • * 1979 , VC Andrews, Flowers in the Attic :
    • She swallowed nervously then, appearing near sick with what she had to say.
  • To accept easily or without questions; to believe, accept.
  • * Sir Thomas Browne
    • Though that story be not so readily swallowed .
  • * 2011 , Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian , 22 Apr 2011:
    • Americans swallowed his tale because they wanted to.
  • To engross; to appropriate; usually with up .
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Homer excels in this, that he swallowed up the honour of those who succeeded him.
  • To retract; to recant.
    • to swallow one's opinions
  • * Shakespeare
    • swallowed his vows whole
  • To put up with; to bear patiently or without retaliation.
    • to swallow an affront or insult
    Derived terms
    * bitter pill to swallow * swallowable * swallow one's pride * swallow up

    See also

    * dysphagia

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic) A deep chasm or abyss in the earth.
  • The amount swallowed in one gulp; the act of swallowing.
    • He took the aspirin with a single swallow of water.

    Etymology 2

    (wikipedia swallow) (etyl) swealwe, from Germanic. Cognate with Danish svale, Dutch zwaluw, German Schwalbe, Swedish svala.

    Noun

    (en 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.
  • (nautical) The aperture in a block through which the rope reeves.
    • Synonyms
    * (small bird of Hirundunudae) martlet * barn swallow (official British name)
    Derived terms
    * one swallow does not make a summer * swallow-tailed

    Anagrams

    * wallows

    wallow

    English

    Alternative forms

    * waller (eye dialect)

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) wealwian, from (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To roll oneself about, as in mire; to tumble and roll about; to move lazily or heavily in any medium; to flounder; as, swine wallow in the mire.
    • Pigs wallow in the mud.
  • * Shakespeare
    • I may wallow in the lily beds.
  • To immerse oneself in, to occupy oneself with, metaphorically.
    • She wallowed in her misery.
  • * The Simpsons (TV series)
    • With Smithers out of the picture I was free to wallow in my own crapulence.
  • To roll; especially, to roll in anything defiling or unclean, as a hog might do to dust its body to relieve the distress of insect biting or cool its body with mud.
  • To live in filth or gross vice; to behave in a beastly and unworthy manner.
  • * South
    • God sees a man wallowing in his native impurity.
  • (intransitive, UK, Scotland, dialect) To wither; to fade.
    • Usage notes
    In the sense of “to immerse oneself in, to occupy oneself with”, it is almost exclusively used for self-indulgent negative emotions, particularly self-pity. See synonyms for general or positive alternatives, such as (revel).
    Synonyms
    * (to immerse oneself in) bask, delight, indulge, luxuriate, revel, rollick

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An instance of wallowing.
  • A pool of water or mud in which animals wallow.
  • A kind of rolling walk.

    • Etymology 2

    (From inflected forms of) (etyl) . Compare (waugh).

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Tasteless, flat.