eat

1 of 2

verb

ˈēt 

ate ˈāt 

dialectal or British ˈet

; eaten ˈē-tᵊn  ; eating; eats

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

Marketing expenses were eating into the profits.

gadgets that eat up too much space

tides eating away the shoreline

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 see also eat up

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.

eater noun

plural eaters

see also:

eat alive eat one out of house and home eat one's heart out eat one's words eat out of one's hand eat someone's lunch

eat

2 of 2

noun

: something to eat : food

—usually plural

Synonyms of eat

Verb

• consume

Noun

• food
• provisions
• bread
• meat

Examples of eat in a Sentence

Verb

You'll feel better if you eat something.

I ate a big breakfast so I'm not very hungry.

They like to eat at home.

Noun

there are some good eats at the buffet table

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The drunken Ken spends his time on such things as warbling a karaoke version of a 4 Non Blondes song while an unkempt Ryu is a purveyor of ramen so bad even a stray cat won’t eat it. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Massive meat-eating coconut crabs are posing an unusual challenge for the team searching for Amelia Earhart's missing plane on the remote Pacific island of Nikumaroro. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Noun

For poolside eats, guests can order from High Bar's icy cocktails plus a casual all-day menu of burgers, hummus plates, and lettuce wraps. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Late hours and quick eats are intrinsic to Jawnie’s owners, both of whom grew up in Pennsylvania before moving to Denver and launching their rental business in 2019. — Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Middle English et, from Old English ǣt; akin to Old High German āz food; derivative from the root of eat entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing eat

• dog-eat-dog
• eat a horse
• eat alive
• eat crow
• eat dust
• eat/have someone or something for lunch
• eat humble pie
• eat light
• eat one out of house and home
• eat one's heart out
• eat one's words
• eat out of one's hand
• eat out of someone's hand
• eat right
• eat someone's lunch
• eat someone's or something's lunch
• eat up
• eat up/run out/kill the clock
• have one's cake and eat it
• have one's cake and eat it too
• I'll eat my hat

Rhymes for eat

• beat
• beet
• bleat
• cheat
• cleat
• creat
• deet
• feat
• feet
• fleet
• greet
• heat

Kids Definition

eat

verb

ˈēt

ate

ˈāt

; eaten

ˈēt-ᵊn

; eating

1

: to take into the mouth and swallow food : chew and swallow in turn

2

: to have a meal

eat at home

3

: to destroy as if by eating : wear away

rocks eaten away by waves

4

: to affect something by destroying or using up bit by bit

acid eating into metal

5

: to enjoy with excitement

the audience ate the show up

eater noun

Medical Definition

eat

verb

ˈēt 

ate

ˈāt, chiefly British ˈet

; eaten ˈēt-ᵊn  ; eating

transitive verb

1

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

2

: to consume gradually : corrode

intransitive verb

: to take food or a meal