What does gobbled mean?
“Gobbled” is the past tense and past participle of “gobble,” meaning to eat or swallow food very quickly and eagerly. It gives a vivid impression of someone finishing a meal rapidly, often without pausing to taste or appreciate it: the hungry children gobbled the cookies before anyone else had a chance. The word can carry a mildly humorous or critical tone because it suggests greed, impatience, or poor table manners. In a less common sense, a person can gobble words by speaking so quickly or indistinctly that the message is hard to understand. “Gobble up” and “gobble down” are familiar phrasal verbs used especially for eating. Although it appears in both British and American English, its everyday, conversational character makes it more suitable for informal writing and speech than for formal description. The word is related to “gob” and “goblet,” both reflecting an older association with the mouth and eating.
verbTo eat or swallow something quickly and eagerly, often with little attention to taste or manner. It can also mean to speak so rapidly or indistinctly that the words are difficult to understand.
- To eat or swallow food quickly and eagerly.
- To speak rapidly or indistinctly, so that one's words are difficult to understand.
"The hungry children gobbled the cookies before their mother had finished setting them on the table."
"He gobbled his lunch and rushed back to class."
"She gobbled the explanation so quickly that the teacher asked her to repeat it."
Gobbled captures the speed of an enthusiastic eater: one moment the food is there, and the next it has vanished.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gobbled come from?
The word descends from Middle English “gobelen” and ultimately from Old French “gobelet,” a diminutive associated with “gob,” meaning “mouth.” Its later English meaning developed around eating quickly and voraciously. The family also includes related words such as “goblet,” while modern forms include “gobble,” “gobbler,” and “gobbling.”
Related word forms
How gobbled is actually used
The word is informal and often suggests greed, enthusiasm, or eating more quickly than is considered polite. The speaking sense is less common and can imply nervousness, excitement, or poor articulation.