noun
swill
swihl
noun
1
Kitchen scraps and liquid waste fed to pigs, or by extension, any low-quality food or drink.
"The farmer poured the swill into the pig trough."
"He called the watery beer nothing but swill."
verb
1
To drink greedily and in large quantities.
"They spent the evening swilling cheap beer."
2
To rinse or wash something out with a flood of water.
"She swilled out the bucket before refilling it."
How to Use Swill
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither pig food/low-quality drink, or to drink something greedily, or to rinse something with water.
When to use it
Mildly derogatory when used for food or drink meant for people.
Common pairings
swill down
pig swill
swill beer
Word Forms
swilled past tense, swills plural, swills singular
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Etymology
From Old English swillan, "to wash or gargle," related to the word swallow.