SWILL

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does swill mean? 

• SWILL (noun)
  The noun SWILL has 1 sense:

1. wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk

  Familiarity information: SWILL used as a noun is very rare.

• SWILL (verb)
  The verb SWILL has 2 senses:

1. feed pigs

2. drink large quantities of (liquid, especially alcoholic drink)

  Familiarity information: SWILL used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SWILL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

pigswill; pigwash; slop; slops; swill

Hypernyms ("swill" is a kind of...):

feed; provender (food for domestic livestock)

Derivation:

swill (feed pigs)

• SWILL (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they swill    ... he / she / it swills   
Past simple: swilled   
Past participle: swilled   
-ing form: swilling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Feed pigs

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

slop; swill

Hypernyms (to "swill" is one way to...):

feed; give (give food to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

swill (wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Drink large quantities of (liquid, especially alcoholic drink)

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

swill; swill down

Hypernyms (to "swill" is one way to...):

drink; imbibe (take in liquids)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

swilling (the drinking of large mouthfuls rapidly)

 Context examples 

But, I perfectly remember that I sat swilling tea until my whole nervous system, if I had had any in those days, must have gone by the board.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The top steps swilled down and the other ones dry.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“It would take a clever man to live upon thy labor, Hugh,” remarked one of the foresters, “seeing that the half of thy time is spent in swilling mead at the 'Pied Merlin.'”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Both Miss Lavinia and Miss Clarissa had a superstition, however, that he would have declared his passion, if he had not been cut short in his youth (at about sixty) by over-drinking his constitution, and over-doing an attempt to set it right again by swilling Bath water.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)