gulp

IPA/ɡʌlp/
KK[ɡˈʌlp]IPA/ɡʌlp/

gulp — verb

  • gulppresent simple I / you / we / they
  • gulpshe / she / it
  • gulpedpast simple
  • gulping-ing form

1. to take food, drink, or medicine into your mouth in very large amounts and force

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to take food, drink, or medicine into your mouth in very large amounts and force it down your throat in one movement, usually because you are in a hurry, very hungry, or very thirsty; or to move your throat suddenly when you feel scared, surprised, or nervous

例句

After the race, Talia gulped down a whole bottle of water without stopping.

gulp + down for drinking quickly

Imran took one look at the exam paper and gulped nervously.

intransitive gulp for fear or surprise

同義詞
  • swallow

    neutral, general term; gulp suggests more speed and larger amounts

  • devour

    to eat quickly and eagerly, emphasising hunger rather than thirst

  • guzzle

    informal; to drink large amounts quickly, often wastefully

反義詞
  • sip

    to drink in very small amounts, taking your time

文法句型

gulp + noun phrase (food/drink/medicine)

gulp + down + noun phrase

gulp (intransitive, from emotion)

用法筆記

When referring to eating or drinking, 'gulp' often appears with the particle 'down' (e.g. 'gulped down his coffee'). When describing an emotional reaction, the verb is always intransitive and describes an involuntary throat movement caused by fear, surprise, or nervousness.

常見錯誤

❌I gulped my food slowly because I had plenty of time.
✅I ate my food slowly because I had plenty of time.
💡'gulp' implies speed; use 'eat' for a normal or slow pace.

2. to take air into your lungs all at once, quickly and deeply, especially when you

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

to take air into your lungs all at once, quickly and deeply, especially when your body needs more oxygen after exercise, after not breathing for a while, or in a stuffy room

例句

After swimming underwater for a minute, Aarav came up and gulped the fresh air.

gulp + air for breathing in quickly

Heloísa opened the window and stood there gulping the cool night air.

同義詞
  • gasp

    to take a short, quick breath, often from surprise or pain; more sudden than gulp

  • pant

    to breathe quickly with short breaths, typically after exercise; less deep than gulp

  • inhale

    neutral, technical term for breathing in; does not suggest speed or need

反義詞

文法句型

gulp + noun phrase (air/breath)

gulp + adverb (deeply)

gulp for air

用法筆記

The grammatical object is almost always 'air' or 'breath'. The fixed expression 'gulp for air' means to struggle to breathe in a panicked way, similar to gasping.

gulp — noun