The accidental inhalation of food, liquid, or saliva into the airways and lungs during eating or swallowing, a misdirection of material meant for the esophagus into the trachea. Small aspirations cause coughing fits; larger or repeated ones lead to aspiration pneumonia, a serious infection particularly threatening to stroke patients, people with dementia, and anyone with impaired swallowing. Prevention centers on swallowing assessment, texture-modified diets that are easier to control in the mouth, upright positioning during meals, and careful feeding assistance for vulnerable individuals. The term also describes the clinical procedure of withdrawing fluid with suction, and the everyday ambition of striving toward a goal, but in nutrition and dysphagia care it names one of the most dangerous things that can happen at the dinner table.