The word swallow has two main meanings:

1. To make food or drink go down your throat into your stomach. When you swallow a bite of sandwich, muscles in your throat push it downward. You swallow without thinking about it dozens of times during every meal. The action seems simple, but it actually involves careful coordination: your brain has to close off your windpipe so food goes to your stomach, not your lungs. When you have a sore throat, swallowing might hurt because those throat muscles are inflamed.
2. A small, graceful bird with a forked tail and pointed wings. Swallows are famous for their acrobatic flying as they swoop and dive through the air catching insects. They often build mud nests under the eaves of barns and houses. In many cultures, swallows symbolize spring and new beginnings because they migrate north when winter ends. The barn swallow, with its distinctive rust-colored throat and deeply forked tail, is one of the most widespread birds in the world.

People sometimes use swallow figuratively, like when someone has to swallow their pride and admit they were wrong, or swallow their disappointment after losing a game. The phrase means accepting something difficult without complaint.