English Reference
Idiom idiom

swallow the dictionary

Meaning

To speak using long or obscure words.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples
SIMPLE

“He talks like he swallowed the dictionary.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The professor is so formal that it sounds like he swallowed the dictionary whenever he gives a lecture.”

COMPLEX

“During the debate, the candidate spoke with such convoluted vocabulary that the audience felt he had swallowed the dictionary just to sound more intelligent.”

Anchors to
Related idioms4entries
  1. 01

    hard to swallow

    Difficult to accept; hard to acquiesce to.

  2. 02

    swallow a bitter pill

    To accept or endure an unpleasant situation.

  3. 03

    swallow one's pride

    To set aside one's feelings of pride and adopt a more humble or appropriate stance.

  4. 04

    swallow the leek

    To change one's mind.

Last updated August 10, 2026