gargle
gargle Lexical Profile
gargle Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To wash or rinse the mouth and throat with a liquid held in the back of the mouth and kept in motion by a steady stream of breath from the lungs.
"The doctor advised him to gargle with warm salt water three times a day to soothe his sore throat."
To utter or produce a sound with a guttural, bubbling noise resembling liquid in the throat.
"The baby began to gargle happily from his crib while playing with his rattle."
• noun
An act or instance of washing the throat with a liquid kept in motion by exhaling through it, or the bubbling sound produced by doing so.
"A quick gargle with warm salt water each morning helped ease the inflammation in his throat."
A medicated or antiseptic liquid solution used for washing out the mouth and throat.
"The pharmacist recommended an antiseptic gargle to help soothe her painful tonsillitis."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'gargle' with 'gurgle'; to 'gargle' is to wash the throat with liquid held in the mouth, whereas to 'gurgle' is simply to make a hollow bubbling sound.
• Rhymes for gargle
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 16th century from Middle French gargouiller ('to gurgle or bubble'), from gargouille ('throat'), ultimately of imitative origin mimicking the sound of liquid in the throat.