Meanings
gargle1
present singular third person gargles · participle present gargling · participle past gargled · past gargled
- intransitiveTo clean one's mouth by holding water or some other liquid in the back of the mouth and blowing air out from the lungs.
She hated the poisoned feeling in her throat, and no matter how often she gargled she felt unclean and disgusting.
1915 October, Willa Sibert Cather, chapter V, in The Song of the Lark, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton Mifflin Company […], →OCLC, part III (Stupid Faces), page 285 - intransitiveTo make a sound like the one made while gargling.
- transitiveTo clean a specific part of the body by gargling (almost always throat or mouth).
They don't gargle their throats with anything stronger than coffee at this tavern.
1893, Gilbert Parker, Mrs. Falchion - transitiveTo use (a liquid) for purposes of cleaning one's mouth or throat by gargling.
Every morning he gargled a little cheap Scotch.
- slangtransitiveTo perform oral sex on (a person or genitals).
I'd like to gargle his marbles.
2004 December 1, “Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset”, in South Park, season 8, episode 12
plural gargles
- countableuncountableA liquid used for gargling.
Take of borax 1 drm., tinc. of myrrh 1/2 oz., clarified honey 1 oz., rose or distilled water, 4 oz.; mix. To be used as a gargle or mouth wash in sore mouth or affection of the gums.
1861, Young's Demonstrative Translation of Scientific Secrets1 more example
But the case was pressing, and the nearest medical practitioner was sent for. On examining the throat, he expressed his desire that a physician should be called in, and accordingly a gentleman, duly authorized, made his appearance, and prescribed gargles and diluents secundem artem.
1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XXIV, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 230-231 - countableThe sound or act of gargling.
gargle2
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchgargouille
- Frenchgargouiller“to gargle”
- Englishgargle
From French gargouiller (“to gargle”), from Old French gargouille, gargole (“gutter, throat”). Compare gargoyle and Spanish garganta. Displaced non-native Middle English gargargisen (“to gargle”) from Latin, and native Old English swillan (“to gargle”) (ancestor of English swill).
More words from French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γαργαρίζω
- γαργαρίζω (gargarízō)to clean one's mouth
Arabic تَمَضْمَضَ, غَرْغَرَ
- تَمَضْمَضَ (tamaḍmaḍa)to clean one's mouth
- غَرْغَرَ (ḡarḡara)to clean one's mouth
- سَائِل الْغَرْغَرَة (sāʔil al-ḡarḡara)liquid
Bulgarian правя гаргара, гаргара
- правя гаргара (pravja gargara)to clean one's mouth
- гаргара (gargara)sound
Chinese Cantonese 𠺘口
- 𠺘口to clean one's mouth
Chinese Mandarin 漱口, 漱
- 漱口 (shùkǒu)to clean one's mouth
- 漱 (shù)to clean one's mouth
- 洗漱 (xǐshù)to clean a specific part of the body by gargling
Czech kloktat, kloktat
- kloktatto clean one's mouth
- kloktatto make such a sound
- kloktadloliquid
Dutch gorgelen, gorgelen
- gorgelento clean one's mouth
- gorgelento make such a sound
- gorgeldrankliquid
Esperanto gargari, gargaraĵo
- gargarito clean one's mouth
- gargaraĵoliquid
Finnish kurlata, kurluttaa
- kurlatato clean one's mouth
- kurluttaato make such a sound
- kurlatato clean a specific part of the body by gargling
- kurlatato use a liquid for purposes of gargling
- kurlausnesteliquid
- kurlaussound
French se gargariser, gargariser
- se gargariserto clean one's mouth
- gargariserto use a liquid for purposes of gargling
- faire des gargarismesto use a liquid for purposes of gargling
- gargarismeliquid
German gurgeln, gurgeln
- gurgelnto clean one's mouth
- gurgelnto make such a sound
- Gurgellösungliquid
- Gurgelwasserliquid
Greek γαργάρα, γαργάρα
- γαργάρα (gargára)liquid
- γαργάρα (gargára)sound
Hungarian gargarizál, gargalizál
- gargarizálto clean one's mouth
- gargalizálto clean one's mouth
- gargarizálto make such a sound
Japanese 嗽する
- 嗽する (ugai suru)to clean one's mouth
Latin gargarisma
- gargarismaliquid
Māori whakararā, whakararā
- whakararāto clean one's mouth
- whakararāto make such a sound
- whakararāto clean a specific part of the body by gargling
- whakararāto use a liquid for purposes of gargling
- whakararā rongoāto use a liquid for purposes of gargling
- rongoā whakararāliquid
Persian غرغره کردن, غرغره
- غرغره کردن (ġerġere kardan)to clean one's mouth
- غرغره (ġerġere)liquid
- غرغره (ġerġere)sound
Portuguese gargarejar
- gargarejarto clean one's mouth
Russian полоска́ть, прополоска́ть
- полоска́ть (poloskátʹ)to clean one's mouth
- прополоска́ть (propoloskátʹ)to clean one's mouth
- издава́ть бу́лькающий звук (izdavátʹ búlʹkajuščij zvuk)to make such a sound
- жи́дкость для полоска́ния го́рла (žídkostʹ dlja poloskánija górla)liquid
Slovak kloktať
- kloktaťto clean one's mouth
Spanish hacer gárgaras, gargarizar
- hacer gárgarasto clean one's mouth
- gargarizarto clean one's mouth
- gárgarasound
Tagalog magmumog
- magmumogto clean one's mouth
Tamil பிளிர்
- பிளிர் (piḷir)to clean one's mouth
Thai กลั้ว
- กลั้ว (glûua)to clean one's mouth
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gargle
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
gargle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gargle
“gargle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gargle. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gargle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gargle.
Source: gargle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.