gobble1

[gob-uh l] /ˈgɒb əl/
verb (used with object), gobbled, gobbling.
1.
to swallow or eat hastily or hungrily in large pieces; gulp.
2.
to seize upon eagerly (often followed by up):
After being gone for so long, they gobbled up all the local news.
verb (used without object), gobbled, gobbling.
3.
to eat hastily.
Origin
1595-1605; probably imitative; see gob1, -le
Synonyms
1. bolt, devour.

gobble2

[gob-uh l] /ˈgɒb əl/
verb (used without object), gobbled, gobbling.
1.
to make the characteristic throaty cry of a male turkey.
noun
2.
the cry itself.
Origin
1670-80; variant of gabble
Examples from the web for gobble
  • On the bright side, we're hoping they'll gobble up any mites that fall to the ground.
  • Scores of gulls hover above, screeching in excitement, then swoop down to gobble up any leftovers.
  • In some cities, parking lots gobble up a third of the area.
  • But the cellular pathway didn't gobble up the plutonium and bring it into the cell wholesale.
  • Other native species also suffer as rats gobble up fruits and seeds, disrupting the entire food chain.
  • So the dean must gobble up another good position, leaving only nine faculty members.
  • Allowing the second biggest company to gobble up the fourth would not have helped.
  • Modern datacenters gobble up huge amounts of electricity and usage is increasing at a rapid pace.
  • So, it's not surprising that the developing global brain is going to gobble for awhile.
  • The birds target and gobble up insects during the brief window of time before the bugs start doing damage.
British Dictionary definitions for gobble

gobble1

/ˈɡɒbəl/
verb
1.
when tr, often foll by up. to eat or swallow (food) hastily and in large mouthfuls
2.
(informal) (transitive) often foll by up. to snatch
Word Origin
C17: probably from gob1

gobble2

/ˈɡɒbəl/
noun
1.
the loud rapid gurgling sound made by male turkeys
interjection
2.
an imitation of this sound
verb
3.
(intransitive) (of a turkey) to make this sound
Word Origin
C17: probably of imitative origin
Word Origin and History for gobble
v.

"eat greedily," c.1600, probably partly echoic, partly frequentative of gob, via gobben "drink something greedily." Related: Gobbled; gobbling.

"make a turkey noise," 1670s, probably imitative, perhaps influenced by gobble (1) or gargle. As a noun from 1781.

Slang definitions & phrases for gobble

gobble

verb
  1. To make a catch (1873+ Baseball)
  2. To do fellatio or cunnilingus; eat it (1920s+)

gobble in Technology

jargon

1. To consume, usually used with "up". "The output spy gobbles characters out of a tty output buffer."
2. To obtain, usually used with "down". "I guess I'll gobble down a copy of the documentation tomorrow."
See also snarf.
[Jargon File]
(2010-01-19)