ingurgitate

verb

in·​gur·​gi·​tate in-ˈgər-jə-ˌtāt How to pronounce ingurgitate (audio)
ingurgitated; ingurgitating

transitive verb

: to swallow greedily or in large quantities : guzzle
ingurgitation noun

Did you know?

Most people are familiar with "regurgitate" as a fancy synonym for "throw up," but far fewer know of its rarer antonym "ingurgitate." It's a word as likely to turn up in a spelling bee as in a conversation, but it does see occasional use, both literal (as in "ingurgitating red wine") and figurative (as in "ingurgitating artwork"). "Regurgitate" and "ingurgitate" (as well as "gurgitate," an even rarer synonym of "ingurgitate," and gorge, meaning "to eat greedily) can be ultimately traced back to the Latin word for "whirlpool," which is "gurges."

Examples of ingurgitate in a Sentence

with no time for fine dining, we just ingurgitated our food and went on our way

Word History

Etymology

Latin ingurgitatus, past participle of ingurgitare, from in- + gurgit-, gurges whirlpool — more at voracious

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ingurgitate was circa 1570

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near ingurgitate

Cite this Entry

“Ingurgitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingurgitate. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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