Literary notes about gulp (AI summary)
The word "gulp" in literature serves as both a vivid description of a physical act and a subtle marker of emotional intensity. At times, it conveys the forceful, almost involuntary action of swallowing—whether it be a drink consumed swiftly at one gulp [1] or even an entire creature swallowed in one decisive motion [2, 3]—while in other instances it signifies nervous hesitation or surprise, as when a character responds with a hesitant little gulp [4] or a significant, dramatic gulp accompanies a revealing moment [5, 6]. Often, the term transcends its literal meaning to evoke the act of absorbing an experience—like inhaling a breath of crisp air [7] or drawing in a moment of revelation described as a gulp of heavenly breath [8]—thus enriching the text with both physical and emotional immediacy.
- He put the glass to his lips and drank at one gulp.
— from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - At last, with a final gulp, the crocodile swallowed my cultured friend entirely, this time leaving no trace of him.
— from Short Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - A hungry wolf sprang out, and swallowed up the whole stomach, with Tom in it, at one gulp, and ran away.
— from Grimms' Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm - She was prejudiced against me," said Janetta, with a little gulp.
— from A True Friend: A Novel by Adeline Sergeant - “Dear knows, it is not his fault if he does not look like—his father,” she added with a great gulp.
— from The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte - “They—they sent me to tell you—” he said, with a gulp.
— from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - Ken took a great gulp of the clean, cold air.
— from Under Arctic Ice by Harry Bates - It was the happiest sigh I ever did heave; and it seems as if I must have drawn in a gulp of heavenly breath, to make it with.
— from The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
