Swilling

Swilling primarily describes the act of drinking something, typically a liquid, in large gulps or copious amounts. It implies a lack of restraint or decorum, often suggesting a rapid and unrestrained consumption. While the subject can be water, it frequently applies to alcoholic beverages. Beyond beverages, 'swilling' can metaphorically extend to describe greedily consuming food, or, less commonly, a deluge or excess of something else. The word often carries a connotation of excessiveness and can portray a lack of self-control. It paints a picture of someone eagerly and potentially carelessly imbibing something.

Swilling meaning with examples

• After finishing the marathon, exhausted runners were swilling water bottles, desperate to rehydrate after the grueling event. They barely paused to breathe as they consumed every drop.
• The frat boys were known for swilling beer at parties, competing to see who could down the most the fastest, much to the dismay of their neighbours.
• During the summer heatwave, the dog was constantly swilling water from its bowl, panting heavily to cool down as the humidity rose rapidly.
• The critic wrote that the movie was a disaster, that it had viewers swilling their metaphorical popcorn and wanting it to end.
• He sat at the bar, swilling whisky after whisky, lost in the depths of a self-pitying sorrow, forgetting everything surrounding him