masticate

verb

mas·ti·cate ˈma-stə-ˌkāt

masticated; masticating

Synonyms of masticate next

transitive verb

: to grind or crush (food) with or as if with the teeth : chew

The cows were masticating their food.

: to soften or reduce to pulp by crushing or kneading

intransitive verb

: chew

mastication

ˌma-stə-ˈkā-shən

noun

masticator

ˈma-stə-ˌkā-tər

noun

Examples of masticate in a Sentence

The cows were masticating their food. mindlessly masticated peanuts while watching the baseball game on TV

Recent Examples on the Web Crews have been preparing for over a year by clearing vegetation away from the bases of giant sequoias, thinning and masticating smaller trees, hauling off large logs and reducing the amount of vegetation around a road that surrounds the burn area, Gerhart said. —

Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023 Your Questions, Answered Is a centrifugal or masticating juicer better? Both centrifugal and masticating juicers make excellent juice. —

Caroline Thomason, Health, 5 July 2023 Your Questions, Answered Are masticating or centrifugal juicers better? —

Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2023 Within the project footprint, crews thinned big trees to prevent fire from leaping from treetop to treetop, and masticated — or ground up — smaller trees and surface vegetation to keep flames closer to the ground. —

Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2023 Juicers are usually divided into two categories: masticating and centrifugal juicers. —

Caroline Thomason, Health, 5 July 2023 In coming days, as Congress moves toward votes on the deal, political commentators will thoroughly masticate the question of whether Biden or McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) prevailed in this dealmaking and which of them will be hurt or harmed politically by the outcome. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023 The only way to consume the stuff was to shove the entire string in your mouth and masticate the waxy nylon into an unsatisfying granular mass. —

Star Tribune, 30 Apr. 2021 And dogs have been known to yap and masticate their displeasure. —

Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'masticate.' 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

Late Latin masticatus, past participle of masticare, from Greek mastichan to gnash the teeth; akin to Greek masasthai to chew — more at mandible

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of masticate was in 1562

See more words from the same year