gobble

/ˈgɑbəl/

/ˈgɒbəl/

Other forms: gobbled; gobbling; gobbles

To gobble is to eat quickly — really quickly. When you gobble your dinner, you hardly even chew your food.

You’ve probably been told that gobbling your food is impolite. However, maybe you can get away with it if you impress your dining companions with some interesting facts about this word’s history. Gobble comes from an Old French word meaning “a mouthful” or “a lump.” It’s related to gob, a slang term for “mouth” in the UK.

Definitions of gobble

1. verb

   eat hastily without proper chewing
   synonyms: bolt

   type of:

   eat

   take in solid food
2. verb

   make a gurgling sound, characteristic of turkeys
   type of:

   emit, let loose, let out, utter

   express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)
3. noun

   the characteristic sound made by a turkey
   type of:

   cry

   the characteristic utterance of an animal