graze

1 of 4

verb (1)

grazed; grazing

intransitive verb

1
: to feed on growing herbage, attached algae, or phytoplankton
cattle grazing on the slopes
2
: to eat small portions of food throughout the day
She was grazing on snacks all afternoon.

transitive verb

1
a
: to crop and eat in the field
b
: to feed on the herbage of
2
a
: to put to graze
grazed his livestock in pastures
b
: to put cattle to graze on
grazed the upper field
3
: to supply herbage for the grazing of
That pasture will graze 30 head of cattle.
grazeable adjective
or grazable
grazer noun

graze

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
: an act of grazing
2
: herbage for livestock to feed on

graze

3 of 4

verb (2)

grazed; grazing

transitive verb

1
: to touch lightly in passing
The car's wheel grazed the curb.
2
: abrade, scratch
grazed her knee when she fell

intransitive verb

: to touch or rub against something in passing
Our fenders just grazed.

graze

4 of 4

noun (2)

: a scraping along a surface or an abrasion made by it
especially : a superficial abrasion of the skin
had a slight graze on her knee from falling

Examples of graze in a Sentence

Verb (1) cows grazing in the meadow Verb (2) I grazed my elbow diving for the ball the volleyball just grazed my face, so I'm okay Noun (2) a stumble that resulted in nothing more serious than a graze on the knee
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Brown said first responders said his son was grazed by gunfire. Brittany Harry, The Enquirer, 27 Sep. 2024 The first one, where the bullet grazed his ear in Butler, Pa., seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime fluke. Howard Kurtz, Fox News, 17 Sep. 2024
Noun
On July 13, Trump suffered a graze wound to his ear when a shooter targeted him at a rally in Butler, Pa. Zeke Miller, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024 Washington State Patrol officials said two people remained hospitalized in critical condition, and another two — including a person with a graze wound and another with leg injuries — were treated at medical facilities and released. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 4 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for graze 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'graze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1) and Noun (1)

Middle English grasen, from Old English grasian, from græs grass

Verb (2) and Noun (2)

perhaps from graze entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

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

Noun (1)

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1604, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of graze was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near graze

Cite this Entry

“Graze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graze. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

graze

1 of 3 verb
grazed; grazing
1
: to feed on growing grass or herbs
cattle grazing on the hill
2
: to put to feed on grass or herbs
the farmer grazed the cattle

graze

2 of 3 verb
grazed; grazing
1
: to rub or touch lightly in passing : touch against and quickly move away from
the car's wheel grazed the curb
2
: to scratch or scrape by rubbing against something
fell and grazed her knee

graze

3 of 3 noun
: an act or result of grazing
especially : a skin injury caused by grazing : scrape

More from Merriam-Webster on graze

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