eat

verb

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\ ˈēt

ate\ ˈāt

, dialectal or British ˈet \; eaten\ ˈē-tᵊn

\; eating

Definition of eat

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

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

2a : 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

3a : 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 herthe controversy ate into his support

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

eat

noun

Definition of eat (Entry 2 of 2)

: something to eat : food —usually used in plural

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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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Eating it: Some folks spoon directly into their mouths. — Ann Maloney, NOLA.com, "Cajun Caviar? On National Caviar Day, we indulge in Atchafalaya fish eggs," 19 July 2017 New this year to True Nature is a retreat for those with eating disorders and their family members. — Plain Dealer Guest Writer, cleveland.com, "Ohio retreat centers offer a break from busy, close to home (photos)," 19 July 2017 However hot dogs may have originated, the council estimates Americans will eat 7 billion of them between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. — Don Sweeney, sacbee, "It’s National Hot Dog Day! So, where are the deals?," 19 July 2017 In fact, a recent survey showed that 36% of Chick-fil-A dinner customers take their meal to go from restaurants to eat at home. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "Chick-fil-A Is About to Make Picking Up Dinner Easy and Delicious," 19 July 2017 The casual restaurant and bar also offers an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at 8 a.m. Sundays. — Vickie Snow Jurkowski, Daily Southtown, "Simple cocktail or meal in a glass, the Bloody Mary can be the cure for what ails you," 19 July 2017 Miami was last in the NFL at 57 plays per game last season partly because the offense didn’t convert effectively on third downs, but also because the porous run defense allowed opponents to eat up the clock. — Chris Perkins, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Countdown to training camp: Can Burke turn last year’s so-so defense into a top unit? | Analysis," 19 July 2017 Parents and their children can bring a lunch to eat during the program. — Michelle Mullins, Naperville Sun, "This Week in Naperville," 18 July 2017 Hammerhead worms contain the same toxin as blowfish and can be harmful if eaten. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, "Watch a Mysterious Worm With an Anus for a Mouth," 15 July 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In New Zealand, orcas eat stingrays; in the Norwegian arctic, orcas prefer herring; and in Patagonia, orcas favor sea lion pups. — Emilie Richardson, ABC News, "'Secrets of the Whales' is a deep dive into whale culture," 22 Apr. 2021 Your international eat, pray, love trip may need to wait until 2022. — Arit John, Los Angeles Times, "Vaxxed, waxed and ready to kick off Shot Girl Summer in L.A.? Here are 5 expert tips," 22 Apr. 2021 As the McFly’s eat dinner, the phone rings and the entire family knows who’s calling because their individual devices are connected to the home OS. — Brandon Bunker, Forbes, "How An '80s Movie Predicted The Home Operating System," 5 Apr. 2021 Nestle Prepared Foods has recalled about 762,615 pounds of not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) pepperoni Hot Pockets product that might be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically glass and hard plastic. — Marc Bona, cleveland, "Some frozen Hot Pockets recalled," 26 Mar. 2021 The tiled eat-in kitchen includes steel and butcher block counters, stainless wall oven, and antique 1920s stove; there’s also a powder room, pantry, and patio out back. — BostonGlobe.com, "For sale: Victorian stunners from the class of 1895," 8 Apr. 2021 Smuggling, price-gouging, dognapping and heavy doses of oxytocin—in the world of Big Puppy, it’s dog-eat-dog. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "Despite recent stumbles, stocks are up nearly 75% in the past year," 24 Mar. 2021 The mac, resplendent in white cheese, was like putting a Mercedes in my mouth – that exquisite and that aerodynamic of an eat. — Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, "The Alabama meat-and-three lunch goes postmodern," 30 Mar. 2021 In Arkansas, where this all started, biologists stocked DeGray Lake with sterile grass carp, as well as a fly native to Pakistan whose larvae eat hydrilla. — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, "Humans Accidentally Created a Death Trap for Bald Eagles," 25 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.