Definition

1. Verb (Transitive):
   • To swallow whole, to gulp down (without chewing): The primary meaning describes the action of swallowing something, typically food or an object, completely and quickly, without biting or chewing it. It often implies a lack of care or haste.
   • To suppress, to endure (an emotion or words): Used figuratively to describe forcibly holding back or containing one's feelings (like anger, sadness, or words one wants to say) as if swallowing them.
   • To accept (something negative) without protest: Figuratively means to reluctantly accept an insult, unfair treatment, or a difficult situation without complaining or fighting back.

Usage Examples

• Literal meaning (to swallow whole):
  • Con rắn nuốt tươi con chuột. (The snake swallowed the mouse whole.)
  • Đừng ăn vội, nuốt tươi như vậy hại dạ dày lắm. (Don't eat so fast; gulping food down like that is very bad for your stomach.)
• Figurative meaning (to suppress, to endure):
  • Cô ấy nuốt tươi nỗi tủi thân và tiếp tục làm việc. (She swallowed her humiliation and continued working.)
  • Anh ta tức giận đến mức chỉ biết nuốt tươi lời chửi vào trong. (He was so angry he could only swallow the curses.)
• Figurative meaning (to accept without protest):
  • Công ty buộc phải nuốt tươi khoản lỗ lớn đó. (The company was forced to swallow that huge loss.)
  • Tôi không thể nuốt tươi lời xúc phạm đó được. (I cannot just swallow that insult.)

Advanced Usage

• "nuốt tươi từng lời": To hang on someone's every word, to listen with rapt attention (literally: to swallow every word whole).
  • Khán giả nuốt tươi từng lời diễn giả nói. (The audience hung on the speaker's every word.)
• "nuốt tươi ý kiến": To suppress one's own opinion, to not voice one's thought.
  • Thấy không ai ủng hộ, anh ấy đành nuốt tươi ý kiến của mình. (Seeing no one agreed, he had to swallow his opinion.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nuốt sống: Has the same core meanings as "nuốt tươi" (to swallow whole, to endure/suppress). These two phrases are often used interchangeably.
• Nuốt (verb): The base verb meaning "to swallow". "Nuốt tươi" adds emphasis on the manner (whole, alive, without chewing/resistance).
• Nuốt hận (verb phrase): To swallow one's resentment/hatred (a more specific figurative use).
• Nuốt nước bọt (verb phrase): To swallow one's saliva; often used to indicate nervousness, desire, or holding back speech.

Synonyms

• Literal: Ngốn, đớp (to gobble, to devour - more informal/vulgar).
• Figurative (suppress): Kìm nén, nén lại (to restrain, to hold back).
• Figurative (accept): Chấp nhận, cam chịu (to accept, to endure).

Related Phrases / Idioms

• "Nuốt không trôi": Cannot swallow it; meaning unable to accept or endure something.
  • Lời nói dối đó tôi nuốt không trôi. (I can't swallow that lie; I find it unacceptable.)
• "Nuốt lời": To go back on one's word, to break a promise (literally: to swallow one's words).
  • Anh ta đã hứa rồi, không thể nuốt lời được. (He promised; he can't go back on his word.)
• "Cá lớn nuốt cá bé": Big fish eat small fish; an idiom describing a situation where the powerful dominate or absorb the weak.

1. như nuốt sống