# ingestion

/ˌɪnˈdʒɛstʃən/ (US) · /ɪndʒˈɛstʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ingestion
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. swallowing or consuming

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the process of taking food, drink, or medicine into your body by swallowing it.

For teachers: the physiological process of consuming a substance orally; typically regarded as the initial stage of digestion.

- The doctor warned that the accidental ingestion of the cleaning fluid is very dangerous.
- Medical professionals emphasize that the rapid ingestion of these chemicals can lead to immediate systemic toxicity if not treated within the hour.

Usage: Uncountable when referring to the general process, but countable when referring to a specific instance.

### 2. data intake

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the process of moving large amounts of information into a computer system or database.

For teachers: the process of importing, transporting, and processing raw data from various sources into a database for storage or analysis.

- The system handles the ingestion of thousands of new customer records every hour.
- The engineering team optimized the data ingestion pipeline to ensure that real-time analytics were available to the marketing department without latency.

Usage: Often used in the context of 'data ingestion' or 'ingestion pipelines'.

### 3. jet engine intake

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

when an engine pulls in air or accidentally pulls in an object like a bird.

For teachers: the process of a jet engine drawing in air or the accidental intake of foreign objects during operation.

- The plane had to land after the ingestion of a bird damaged the engine.
- Engineers designed the new turbine blades to withstand the ingestion of small debris during takeoff and landing sequences.

Usage: Commonly used in aviation and mechanical engineering contexts.

## Examples

- The system handles the ingestion of large files quickly.
- The software is designed to manage the ingestion of real-time data from thousands of sensors across the city.
- Efficient data ingestion is critical for maintaining the performance of the analytics platform, as it ensures that raw data is transformed into a structured format before being stored in the database.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.