/ gʌlp; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
gulp sth (down) to swallow large amounts of food or drink quickly :
[ vn ]
He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out.
[also v ]
2.
to swallow, but without eating or drinking anything, especially because of a strong emotion such as fear or surprise :
She gulped nervously before trying to answer.
[also v speech ]
3.
gulp (for sth) | gulp sth (in) to breathe quickly and deeply, because you need more air :
[ v ]
She came up gulping for air .
[ vn ]
He leant against the car, gulping in the cold air.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- gulp sth back
■ noun
1.
gulp (of sth) an amount of sth that you swallow or drink quickly :
He took a gulp of coffee.
2.
an act of breathing in or of swallowing sth :
'Can you start on Monday?' Amy gave a gulp. 'Of course,' she said.
He drank the glass of whisky in one gulp .
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : probably from Middle Dutch gulpen , of imitative origin.