घूँट (ghoont)
noun
A single sip or gulp of a liquid; also used figuratively for 'swallowing' something unpleasant, like an insult or emotion.
Sense
1
:
a sip or gulp (of liquid)
noun, masculine
Synonyms: चुस्की (chuskii, a smaller, lighter sip), जुर्राब (jurraab, rare)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear this constantly around chai: थोड़ा घूँट लो (thodaa ghoont lo, 'take a little sip') is what an aunty says when she's testing if the tea is too hot for you. It's also the word behind the common phrase घूँट भरना (ghoont bharnaa, 'to take a sip/gulp'), which pairs naturally with पानी (paanii) or चाय (chaay).
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes reach for चुस्की (chuskii) for any 'sip,' but घूँट (ghoont) is the more common everyday word and covers bigger gulps too, not just delicate sips of tea. 2) Common in the frame एक घूँट पानी पीना (ek ghoont paanii piinaa, 'to drink a sip of water') -- घूँट (ghoont) itself is the countable unit, so you say एक घूँट (ek ghoont) not एक घूँट का (ek ghoont kaa).
Sample Sentences:
थोड़ा घूँट लो, देखो चाय ज़्यादा गरम तो नहीं है।
Take a little sip, see if the tea is too hot.
(thodaa ghoont lo, dekho chaay zyaadaa garam to nahiin hai।)
उसने पानी का एक घूँट भरा और फिर बोलना शुरू किया।
He took a sip of water and then started speaking.
(usne paanii kaa ek ghoont bharaa aur phir bolnaa shuroo kiyaa।)
मैं रोज़ सुबह चाय के दो-तीन घूँट लेकर ही अखबार पढ़ना शुरू करता हूँ।
Every morning I start reading the newspaper only after taking two-three sips of tea.
(main roz subah chaay ke do-tiin ghoont lekar hii akhbaar padhnaa shuroo kartaa hoon।)
वह प्यास से इतना बेहाल था कि एक ही घूँट में आधी बोतल खाली कर गया।
He was so parched with thirst that he emptied half the bottle in a single gulp.
(vah pyaas se itnaa behaal thaa ki ek hii ghoont men aadhii botal khaalii kar gayaa।)
अगर तुम्हें गला खराब लग रहा है तो गरम पानी के घूँट भरते रहो।
If your throat feels bad, keep taking sips of warm water.
(agar tumhen galaa kharaab lag rahaa hai to garam paanii ke ghoont bharte raho।)
डॉक्टर ने कहा कि दवा को एक घूँट पानी के साथ लेना है, ज़्यादा नहीं।
The doctor said the medicine should be taken with one sip of water, not more.
(doktar ne kahaa ki davaa ko ek ghoont paanii ke saath lenaa hai, zyaadaa nahiin।)
जब तक चाय के सारे घूँट खत्म नहीं हो जाते, वह उठता ही नहीं।
He doesn't get up until every last sip of tea is finished.
(jab tak chaay ke saare ghoont khatm nahiin ho jaate, vah uthtaa hii nahiin।)
अगर मैं होता तो पूरा गिलास एक घूँट में नहीं पीता, धीरे-धीरे पीता।
If I were him, I wouldn't drink the whole glass in one gulp, I'd drink it slowly.
(agar main hotaa to pooraa gilaas ek ghoont men nahiin piitaa, dhiire-dhiire piitaa।)
कृपया चाय को एक साँस में मत पीजिए, थोड़े-थोड़े घूँट लीजिए।
Please don't drink the tea in one breath, take small sips.
(kripyaa chaay ko ek saans men mat piijie, thode-thode ghoont liijie।)
गिलास से केवल दो घूँट पानी पिया गया और बाकी बचा रह गया।
Only two sips of water were drunk from the glass, and the rest was left over.
(gilaas se keval do ghoont paanii piyaa gayaa aur baakii bachaa rah gayaa।)
Sense
2
:
figurative: something unpleasant that must be swallowed/endured
noun, masculine Almost always appears with पीना (piinaa) or गटकना (gataknaa) in the idiom घूँट पीना (ghoont piinaa) or कड़वा घूँट पीना (kadvaa ghoont piinaa, 'to drink a bitter gulp'), meaning to silently endure an insult, humiliation, or painful truth.
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: कड़वा घूँट पीना (kadvaa ghoont piinaa) is the classic Hindi image for swallowing pride or pain in silence -- think of a mother-in-law's sharp remark that a daughter-in-law absorbs without answering back. It reflects a broader pattern in Hindi where emotional endurance is described through the body: swallowing, not just 'feeling.'
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense only works with verbs of drinking/swallowing (पीना, गटकना) -- you can't use it with 'to feel' or 'to bear' the way English might say 'swallow a hurt.' 2) Almost always modified by कड़वा (kadvaa, 'bitter') -- कड़वा घूँट (kadvaa ghoont) is the set phrase, said without कड़वा (kadvaa) it can just sound literal.
Sample Sentences:
उसे अपने पति की बेइज़्ज़ती का घूँट चुपचाप पीना पड़ा।
She had to silently swallow the bitter pill of her husband's insult.
(use apne pati kii beizztii kaa ghoont chupchaap piinaa padaa।)
सास के ताने सुनकर बहू कड़वे घूँट पीती रहती है।
Hearing her mother-in-law's taunts, the daughter-in-law keeps swallowing the bitter pills in silence.
(saas ke taane sunkar bahoo kadve ghoont piitii rahtii hai।)
अपमान का घूँट पीना आसान नहीं होता।
Swallowing the bitter pill of humiliation is never easy.
(apmaan kaa ghoont piinaa aasaan nahiin hotaa।)
जब बॉस ने सबके सामने डाँटा, तो मुझे घूँट पीकर रह जाना पड़ा।
When the boss scolded me in front of everyone, I had no choice but to swallow it and stay quiet.
(jab bos ne sabke saamne daantaa, to mujhe ghoont piikar rah jaanaa padaa।)
काश मुझे यह घूँट न पीना पड़ता।
I wish I hadn't had to swallow this bitter pill.
(kaash mujhe yah ghoont n piinaa padtaa।)
अगर वह चुप रहती, तो उसे इतने घूँट न पीने पड़ते।
If she had stayed silent, she wouldn't have had to swallow so many bitter pills.
(agar vah chup rahtii, to use itne ghoont n piine padte।)
बेटा, कभी-कभी ज़िंदगी में कड़वे घूँट पीने ही पड़ते हैं।
Son, sometimes in life you just have to swallow the bitter pills that come your way.
(betaa, kabhii-kabhii zindgii men kadve ghoont piine hii padte hain।)
क्या तुम हमेशा दूसरों की बातों का घूँट पीते रहोगे?
Will you keep swallowing everyone else's remarks like this forever?
(kyaa tum hameshaa doosron kii baaton kaa ghoont piite rahoge?)
उस औरत ने पूरी ज़िंदगी दुख के घूँट पीकर गुज़ार दी।
That woman spent her whole life swallowing sorrow in silence.
(us aurat ne poorii zindgii dukh ke ghoont piikar guzaar dii।)
गरीबी का घूँट रोज़ पीना पड़ता था, फिर भी उसने हार नहीं मानी।
She had to swallow the bitter pill of poverty every day, yet she never gave up.
(gariibii kaa ghoont roz piinaa padtaa thaa, phir bhii usne haar nahiin maanii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
घूँट
(ghoont)
(sg.m.oblique):
घूँट
(ghoont)
(pl.m.direct):
घूँट
(ghoont)
(pl.m.oblique):
घूँटों
(ghoonton)