swig

1 of 2

noun

ˈswig How to pronounce swig (audio)
Synonyms of swignext
: a quantity drunk at one time

swig

2 of 2

verb

swigged; swigging

transitive verb

: to drink in long drafts
swig cider

intransitive verb

: to take a swig : drink
swigger noun

Synonyms of swig

Relevance

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of swig in a Sentence

Noun can I have just a swig of your lemonade to wash down these french fries? Verb the only way he can stay awake at his night job is by constantly swigging drinks containing caffeine
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
So take a swig from a 12-ounce can, pour the rest in the batter. — Jack Hennessy, Outdoor Life, 29 Apr. 2026 Harris swigs vodka from a bottle. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Verb
If the venue is full, join punters swigging Singha and tapping their feet to bossa nova on the curb out front. — Adam Turner, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2025 The six-time Grand Slam champion swigged pickle juice (more on this later). — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swig

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1623, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1650, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of swig was circa 1623

Rhymes for swig

See All Rhymes for swig

Browse Nearby Words

swiftness
swig
swiggle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swig. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

swig

1 of 2 noun
ˈswig How to pronounce swig (audio)
: a quantity drunk at one time

swig

2 of 2 verb
swigged; swigging
: to drink in long gulps

More from Merriam-Webster on swig

Nglish: Translation of swig for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All