swallowed

USAGE SUMMARY

The word "swallowed" is correct and can be used in written English.
You can use the word "swallowed" to describe the act of consuming something quickly or whole. For example, "She swallowed the last bite of her sandwich and was ready to go."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Business

Sport

Travel

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

In recent years, about a third of BME housing associations have disappeared, merging with other associations, shutting down or being swallowed by larger mainstream organisations.

The Guardian

These were fortified settlements, established by various rulers between the 11th and 17th centuries, now swallowed by the sprawling city of today.

The Guardian

Larkin's poem, written about his friend Winifred Arnott, sees the lost maiden name as a symbol of the erasure of a woman's youthful and sexually desirable self, now swallowed up in domestic duties and motherhood.

The Guardian - Books

But now, through a new community initiative that aims to reclaim public spaces in Mumbai swallowed by motorists, hawkers and illegal encroachments, no cars are allowed on one 6.5-kilometre stretch just to the north of the old centre of the city between 7 and 11 am on Sundays.

The Guardian

Her grandson had been swallowed by the complicity and silence that surrounded so many of the regime's horrendous crimes.

The Guardian

One old Disney bigwig said you had a voice like you'd "swallowed Pat Benatar".

The Guardian - Music

Have we swallowed all the rhetoric about how the introduction of clinically led commissioning will offer choice to patients?

The Guardian

One reason is the naivete/ignorance of legislators who swallowed the spooks' line that metadata-hoovering was just an updating of older powers to access logs of (analogue) telephone calls.

The Guardian - Tech

Over the years, toes have been stolen, lost and, in some cases, swallowed.

The Guardian - Travel

Europe's north agreed to sign bailout cheques, the south swallowed more austerity, and Frankfurt agreed to magic up whatever currency was required to prevent bank runs driving any country out of the club.

The Guardian - Opinion

Clearly labor reforms didn't boost growth in the short run, but two to three years after the most turbulent period of the crisis, the countries that swallowed that bitter medicine are seeing growth dividends.

The Guardian - Business

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "swallowed" to vividly describe how something disappears quickly or is completely taken over by something else, whether physically or metaphorically.

Common error

Avoid overusing passive constructions with "swallowed" when a more direct, active voice would be clearer and more impactful. For instance, instead of "The company was swallowed by the larger corporation", try "The larger corporation swallowed the company."

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "swallowed" is as the past tense of the verb "swallow". It describes a completed action of taking something into the mouth and passing it down the throat. Ludwig AI confirms this function based on numerous examples where it signifies a completed act of consumption or engulfment.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Business

15%

Sport

10%

Less common in

Travel

5%

Science

5%

Formal & Business

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "swallowed" is the past tense of "swallow", used to describe a completed action of consuming, accepting, or being overwhelmed. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's grammatically correct and versatile, appearing frequently in diverse contexts from news to business. While primarily neutral in tone, it can convey vivid imagery. To enhance clarity, avoid overusing passive voice, and consider context-appropriate alternatives like "engulfed" or "consumed" for greater precision. With its common usage and grammatical soundness, "swallowed" is a reliable choice for descriptive writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

ingested

Specifically refers to the act of taking something into the body, often in a medical or scientific context.

consumed

Suggests complete destruction or use, implying a more thorough process than just taking in.

engulfed

Implies being completely surrounded and overwhelmed, often by something negative or powerful.

absorbed

Focuses on the process of being taken in and assimilated, losing individual identity.

accepted

Indicates mentally taking something in, typically used for ideas or information.

incorporated

Suggests being integrated into a larger whole, becoming part of something else.

suppressed

Implies holding back or concealing, often referring to emotions or information.

assimilated

Similar to incorporated, but emphasizes the process of becoming similar or identical to the surrounding environment.

concealed

Focuses on hiding or covering something up, making it invisible or unknown.

vanished

Highlights the disappearance of something, often suddenly and without a trace.

FAQs

How can I use "swallowed" in a sentence?

You can use "swallowed" to describe the act of consuming something quickly, accepting something without protest, or being completely absorbed by something else. For instance, "He "swallowed" his pride and apologized" or "The small town was "swallowed" by the expanding city".

What's the difference between "swallowed" and "ingested"?

"Swallowed" generally refers to the act of taking something down the throat, while "ingested" is a more formal or technical term for taking something into the body, often referring to medical or scientific contexts. "Ingested" may imply a slower process. In simpler terms, all swallowed things are ingested, but not all ingested things are swallowed.

What can I say instead of "swallowed up"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "engulfed", "absorbed", or "consumed" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it correct to say "the truth was swallowed by lies"?

Yes, it's a valid metaphorical usage. This implies the truth was concealed or overshadowed by falsehoods, creating a sense of the truth disappearing or being suppressed.