What does slurp mean?
To slurp is to drink or consume something with a wet, sucking, or bubbling sound. The word is especially associated with drinking through a straw, sipping noisily from a cup, or eating soup and other liquids in an audible way. Slurp can also describe a soft sucking noise made by a machine or by something moving through liquid. In everyday use, the expression often carries a mildly critical or humorous tone when it refers to someone's manners, although it can simply describe a sound without implying disapproval. As a noun, a slurp is the sound itself: “There was a loud slurp from the other end of the table.” The verb is common in informal English, while the noun can be used in both ordinary descriptions and more playful or literary contexts.
To drink or consume with a soft, bubbling, or sucking sound, especially through a narrow opening; to make a wet sucking sound.
"She slurped the soup straight from the bowl."
Often informal and sometimes disapproving when used of a person's eating or drinking habits.
A soft, wet, sucking or bubbling sound made while drinking, eating, or moving through liquid.
"He heard a loud slurp before the bottle fell to the floor."
Usually countable when referring to an individual sound; the plural is slurps.
Use plural when referring to multiple individual sounds or instances of noisy drinking.
"The loud slurps echoed through the quiet room."
The word slurp captures the unmistakable sound of drinking noisily—one of life's smallest acts with an unusually vivid onomatopoeic name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does slurp come from?
The English verb slurp developed in the 17th century, probably influenced by the German schlürfen, meaning to drink or sip noisily. Its exact historical development is less certain than its modern meaning suggests. The related English noun slur arose separately and now primarily means an insulting or disparaging term, so although the words share an imitative sound, their modern meanings are distinct.
Related word forms
How slurp is actually used
Slurp is informal and often mildly disapproving when describing someone's table manners. It can also be used descriptively or humorously, as in “a loud slurping sound.” The verb normally takes a direct object when referring to drinking, as in “slurp the soup.”
Easily confused with slurp
A slur is an insulting or disparaging term, whereas a slurp is a sound made when drinking or sucking noisily.