What does swilled mean?
Swilled is the past tense and past participle of swill, a verb with two familiar senses. In the literal sense, it means to wash, rinse, or flood something with liquid: workers may swill a floor with water, or rainwater may swill through a street. In the informal sense, it means to drink greedily or in large quantities, especially when describing beer, wine, or another alcoholic drink. The word often conveys an energetic or excessive action rather than a controlled one. Although its literal imagery is associated with washing, its historical associations also include slops or liquid food, especially that given to pigs. In modern use, swilled is common in descriptions of flooding, cleaning, and enthusiastic drinking, while the latter sense generally appears in informal or colloquial contexts.
To wash, rinse, or pour liquid over or around something; to flood something with liquid.
"The hose swilled the pavement with water."
Often suggests an abundant or forceful flow of liquid.
To drink a liquid greedily or in large quantities.
"The rowers swilled beer after the race."
Informal and sometimes implies excessive drinking.
The word has long carried a earthy double life: washing something down with liquid and drinking greedily are both senses of swill.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does swilled come from?
The word belongs to a long-standing Germanic vocabulary of washing and liquid food. Its older noun sense referred to slops or liquid food, particularly feed for pigs, while the verb developed senses connected with washing, rinsing, and drinking. The modern forms are inherited through Middle English, with the verb’s past tense and past participle formed by adding the regular -ed ending to swill.
Related word forms
How swilled is actually used
The drinking sense is informal and can suggest excessive or undignified consumption. The washing sense can imply that liquid is poured over or through something in abundance.
Easily confused with swilled
Swilled means deliberately poured or washed liquid over something, whereas spilled means liquid was accidentally released or scattered.