gobble

1 of 2

verb (1)

gob·​ble ˈgä-bəl How to pronounce gobble (audio)
gobbled; gobbling ˈgä-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce gobble (audio)
Synonyms of gobble

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 How to pronounce gobble (audio)

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 of gobble

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Verb (1)

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Examples of gobble in a Sentence

Verb (1) gobbled the sandwiches like they hadn't eaten for days
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Oddly enough, there’s a case to be made that Ellison himself may have eliminated the greatest threat to network TV’s hegemony by gobbling up WBD’s TNT Sports assets, which have long served as agents of chaos in the sports-rights market. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026 And Amazon and other merchants gobbled up the ubiquitous concrete cubes dotting the region’s landscape. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 31 July 2026 The consumer electronics business is being squeezed by a shortage of memory and storage chips, which are being gobbled up in the AI arms race. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 July 2026 Though many old artists’ residences have been gobbled up by new high-rises, pockets of nostalgia persist on the streets of New York’s NoHo neighborhood. — Jennifer Fernandez, Architectural Digest, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gobble

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of gobble was in 1583

Rhymes for gobble

See All Rhymes for gobble

Browse Nearby Words

gobbet
gobble
gobbledygook
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gobble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gobble. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

gobble

1 of 2 verb
gob·​ble ˈgäb-əl How to pronounce gobble (audio)
gobbled; gobbling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce gobble (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on gobble

Nglish: Translation of gobble for Spanish Speakers

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