View synonyms for eat

eat

[ eet ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

, ate [eyt, et] or (Archaic) eat [et, eet]; eat·en or (Archaic) eat [et, eet]; eat·ing.

to take into the mouth and swallow for nourishment; chew and swallow (food).
to consume by or as if by devouring gradually; wear away; corrode:
The patient was eaten by disease and pain.
to make (a hole, passage, etc.), as by gnawing or corrosion.
to ravage or devastate:
a forest eaten by fire.
to use up, especially wastefully; consume (often followed by up ):
Unexpected expenses have been eating up their savings.
to absorb or pay for:
The builder had to eat the cost of the repairs.
Slang: Vulgar. to perform cunnilingus or fellatio on.

verb (used without object)

, ate [eyt, et] or (Archaic) eat [et, eet]; eat·en or (Archaic) eat [et, eet]; eat·ing.

to consume food; take a meal:
We'll eat at six o'clock.
to make a way, as by gnawing or corrosion:
Acid ate through the linoleum.

noun

eats, Informal. food.

verb phrase

to destroy gradually, as by erosion:
For eons, the pounding waves ate away at the shoreline.
1. to consume wholly.
2. to show enthusiasm for; take pleasure in:
  The audience ate up everything he said.
3. to believe without question.
to have a meal at a restaurant rather than at home.

eat

/ iːt /

verb

to take into the mouth and swallow (food, etc), esp after biting and chewing
tr; often foll by away or up to destroy as if by eating
the damp had eaten away the woodwork
often foll by into to use up or waste
taxes ate into his inheritance
often foll byinto or through to make (a hole, passage, etc) by eating or gnawing
rats ate through the floor
to take or have (a meal or meals)
we always eat at six
tr to include as part of one's diet
he doesn't eat fish
informal.
tr to cause to worry; make anxious
what's eating you?
slang.
tr to perform cunnilingus or fellatio upon
I'll eat my hat if informal.
I will be greatly surprised if (something happens that proves me wrong)
eat one's heart out
to brood or pine with grief or longing
eat one's words
to take back something said; recant; retract
eat out of someone's hand
to be entirely obedient to someone
eat someone out of house and home
to ruin someone, esp one's parent or one's host, by consuming all his food

EAT

abbreviation for

Tanzania (international car registration)

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Derived Forms

ˈeater, noun

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Other Words From

eater noun
outeat verb (used with object) outate outeaten outeating
under·eat verb (used without object) underate undereaten undereating

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Word History and Origins

Origin of eat¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English eten, Old English etan; cognate with German essen, Gothic itan, Latin edere, esse, Homeric Greek édein

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Word History and Origins

Origin of eat¹

Old English etan; related to Gothic itan, Old High German ezzan, Latin edere, Greek edein, Sanskrit admi

Origin of eat²

from E(ast) A(frica) T(anganyika) or E(ast) A(frica) Z(anzibar)

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

be eating someone, Informal. to worry, annoy, or bother:
Something seems to be eating him—he's been wearing a frown all day.
eat in, to eat or dine at home.
eat the wind out of, Nautical. to blanket (a sailing vessel sailing close-hauled) by sailing close on the weather side of.
eat someone out of house and home, to eat so much as to strain someone's resources of food or money:
A group of hungry teenagers can eat you out of house and home.
eat someone's lunch, Slang. to thoroughly defeat, outdo, injure, etc.
eat clean. clean ( def 51 ).
eat crow. crow ¹( def 7 ).
eat high off the hog. hog ( def 16 ).
eat humble pie. humble pie ( def 3 ).
eat one's heart out. heart ( def 26 ).
eat one's terms. term ( def 17 ).
eat one's words. word ( def 17 ).
eat out of one's hand. hand ( def 50 ).

More idioms and phrases containing eat

dog eat dog
proof of the pudding is in the eating
what's eating you

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Example Sentences

By the way, with all the bad ingredients in all this s— now, half-and-half is actually one of the cleanest things you can eat.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump's loyalty tests of congressional Republicans have escalated quickly from "walk naked through the streets" levels to "eat puke" levels.

From Salon

There are different interpretations on how Hindus should treat animals, however cows are considered a sacred animal and many choose not to eat beef, while others avoid meat altogether.

From BBC

It uses a cavernous hood to trap crustaceans to eat — a feeding strategy also used by anemones and some jellies.

From Los Angeles Times

“The stuff that he eats is really, like, bad,” Kennedy said.

From Salon

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

easy street, on eatable

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