Main Entry:

¹eat

Pronunciation:

\ˈēt\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

ate \ˈāt, dialect or British ˈet\ ; eat·en \ˈē-t^ən\ ; eat·ing

Etymology:

Middle English eten, from Old English etan; akin to Old High German ezzan to eat, Latin edere, Greek edmenai

Date:

before 12th century

transitive verb1: to take in through the mouth as food : ingest, chew, and swallow in turn2 a: to destroy, consume, or waste by or as if by eating <expenses ate up the profits> <gadgets that eat up too much space> b: to bear the expense of : take a loss on <the team was forced to eat the rest of his contract>3 a: to consume gradually : corrode <cars eaten away by rust> b: to consume with vexation : bother <what's eating you now>4: to enjoy eagerly or avidly : lap —used with up<it was an amazing performance and the crowd ate it up>5usually vulgar : to perform fellatio or cunnilingus on —often used with outintransitive verb1: to take food or a meal2: to affect something by gradual destruction or consumption —usually used with into, away, or at<the loss was really eating at her><the controversy ate into his support>

— eat·er noun

— eat alive

: to defeat, conquer, or overwhelm completely : crush <was eaten alive by the competition>

— eat one out of house and home

: to consume more than one can easily provide or afford

— eat one's heart out

1: to grieve bitterly2: to be jealous

— eat one's words

: to retract what one has said

— eat out of one's hand

: to accept the domination of another

— eat someone's lunch

: to deprive of profit, dominance, or success