eat

verb

\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

The eats and drinks in this indoor space are just as varied: sushi, mac and cheese, pizza, burgers, ice pops and more. — A.d. Thompson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Winter Garden Neighborhood Guide," 21 June 2018 In Clinton Hill, a two-family, 2,640-square-foot, 1880 brick house with a three-bedroom, two-bath triplex including an eat-in kitchen, office/laundry room and deck; a one-bedroom, one-bath, garden-level apartment; and an unfinished basement. — New York Times, "Homes for Sale in Brooklyn and Manhattan," 5 July 2018 Adjacent to this space is a large eat-in kitchen with fireplace, vaulted tongue-and-groove ceilings, what looks like original cabinetry (the pulls are really cool), and a wall of glass overlooking an expansive deck. — Lauren Ro, Curbed, "Rad midcentury home on 3 acres asks $1.2M," 21 June 2018 Take care of that daily need and save some cash at the same time with kids-eat-free deals in metro Phoenix. — Jennifer Mcclellan, azcentral, "Kids eat free at these Phoenix restaurants: Chompie’s, IHOP, NYPD Pizza, Denny's and more," 22 May 2018 Also found in the 5,700-square-foot floor plan are a formal dining room, an eat-in kitchen, five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. — Jack Flemming, latimes.com, "Director Guillermo del Toro closes a quick sale in Agoura Hills," 22 May 2018 But rivals are advertising cheap eats and some of them are moving to sell breakfast all day, too, taking the shine off McDonald's 2015 announcement. — Leslie Patton, chicagotribune.com, "McDonald's wants to win breakfast by selling the best part of the muffin," 26 June 2018 Buy Photo Reader: Your review of Cadence sounds terrific, but how do South Kensington and Fishtown get so many interesting eats and the Graduate Hospital/Fitler Square area so few? — Craig Laban, Philly.com, "Why some Philly neighborhoods attract creative eateries, and some don't | Craig LaBan," 13 June 2018 And with the bounty of gourmet eats, the drinks flowing and the promise of acts like Tank and the Bangas, Halsey, the Killers, and Bruno Mars later in the weekend, the outlook remained bright. — Mariecar Mendoza, San Francisco Chronicle, "BottleRock Napa Valley kicks off under cloudy skies," 25 May 2018

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.