gobble

1 of 2

verb (1)

gob·​ble ˈgä-bəl 

gobbled; gobbling ˈgä-b(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to swallow or eat greedily

2

: to take eagerly : grab

—usually used with up

3

: to read rapidly or greedily

—usually used with up

gobble

2 of 2

verb (2)

gobbled; gobbling ˈgä-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to make the natural guttural noise of a male turkey

2

: to make a sound resembling the gobble of a turkey

gobble noun

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• bolt
• cram
• devour
• glut [archaic]
• gorge
• gormandize
• gulp
• ingurgitate
• inhale
• raven
• scarf
• scoff
• slop
• wolf

Examples of gobble in a Sentence

Verb (1)

gobbled the sandwiches like they hadn't eaten for days

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

After all, there's nothing worse than a funnel cake that's not gobbled up in a cloud of sugar. —Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 8 Jan. 2025

Alternatively, this exoplanet could have grown by gobbling up large amounts of solid materials rather than just gases. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2024

That such an enormous black hole located so early in our universe–yet not growing and gobbling up mass–challenges existing models of how these cosmic phenomena develop. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2024

Yes, but: That didn't stop fans from gobbling up his new and old music. —Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

probably irregular from gob entry 1

Verb (2)

imitative

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1680, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gobble

1 of 2 verb

gob·​ble ˈgäb-əl 

gobbled; gobbling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to swallow or eat greedily

2

: to take eagerly : grab

the small country was gobbled up by its neighbor

gobble

2 of 2 verb

: to make the sound of a male turkey

gobble noun