eat

¹eat

verb \ˈēt\

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

Definition of EAT

transitive verb

1

: to take in through the mouth as food : ingest, chew, and swallow in turn

2

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>

5

usually vulgar : to perform fellatio or cunnilingus on —often used with out

intransitive verb

1

: to take food or a meal

2

: 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 bitterly

2

: 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

Examples of EAT

1. You'll feel better if you eat something.
2. I ate a big breakfast so I'm not very hungry.
3. They like to eat at home.

Origin of EAT

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

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to EAT

Synonyms: consume, ingest, partake (of), put away, put down, tuck (away or in)

Related Words: digest, down, mouth (down), swallow; bolt, chow (down on), devour, glut (on), gobble (up or down), gorge, gulp, scoff, slop, snarf (down), swill, wolf; chew, gnaw (at or on), gum, lap, lick, nibble (on), nurse, pick (at); relish, savor (also savour), taste; banquet, dine, fare, feast, gormandize, pig out, regale; dispatch, polish off; breakfast, lunch, sup; munch, nosh, snack

Near Antonyms: freshen, recreate, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, rejuvenate, renew, restore, revitalize, revive

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with EAT

beat, beet, bleat, cheat, cleat, Crete, deet, feat, fleet, Geat, gleet, greet, heat, lied, meat, meet, mete, neat, peat, pleat, seat, sheet, skeet, sleet, street, suite, sweet, teat, treat, tweet, weet, wheat