slurp

Slurp is a word with multiple senses in everyday language. As a verb, it means to drink or eat something, especially a liquid, with a loud sucking or slurping sound. It is commonly used to describe noisily consuming soup, noodles, or beverages. As a noun, a slurp refers to the act itself or to the sound produced during the act, as in “a loud slurp.”

In computing and data processing, slurp is informal jargon for reading all data from a source into memory in a single operation. Programmers say they are slurping a file or input, meaning they load the entire contents at once rather than streaming it. This usage highlights the transfer of data in bulk, and it carries caution about memory usage when dealing with large files or streams.

The term is primarily informal and typically appears in casual writing, programming guides, or humorous contexts. It is valued for its vivid, onomatopoeic quality but is less common in formal prose or technical specifications.

Etymology and usage notes: slurp originates as an imitate-the-sound onomatopoeia, capturing the distinctive noise associated with drawing liquid into the mouth. It has been part of English since at least the 19th century and remains widely understood across dialects, often conveying a sense of playfulness or casual realism.

See also: onomatopoeia, drinking sounds, data ingestion slang.