ate

Definition of atenext
past tense of eat
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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ate On one day in late December, Eden barely ate all day. Angela Andaloro, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025 While neither is an effective big league pitcher at this point, those moves ate into the Yankees’ limited rotation depth. Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025 Some theologians argued that Adam and Eve, as well as all the animals in the Garden of Eden, ate only plants. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025 Modest renovations accomplished that goal — the space pulses with history and nostalgia as old photos hint at how, decades ago, neighbors ate and drank shoulder to shoulder here. Kayleigh Ruller, Charlotte Observer, 10 Apr. 2025 In testing, 75% of users ate a greater variety of plants than before using the app. Nicki Sprinz, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 Pigs and other animals brought to the island also ate dodo eggs. Mike Snider, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025 One study found that men who ate whole eggs immediately after resistance exercise experienced greater post-exercise muscle protein synthesis rates than men who consumed egg whites. Jillian Kubala, Rd, Health, 25 Feb. 2025 The Knicks had a good test in front of them and apparently just ate the Scantron instead of filling it out. Zach Harper, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ate
Verb
  • Flames were shooting out of Flashbacks, her family’s beloved small-town diner, and there was nothing to do but watch as the building — part restaurant, part local history display, all community institution — was consumed by the blaze.
    Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Afterward the plane could be seen on the runway, consumed in flame.
    Theresa Braine, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The popular frustration with Iran’s leadership encompasses a catalogue of failures that have eroded the regime’s external ambitions and its domestic legitimacy.
    Ali Vaez, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Public trust in the justice system is eroded when political cronyism is rewarded over fairness, when accountability is resisted, and when devastating errors are defended instead of confronted.
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Kutcher and the actress dined at La Dolce Vita, an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills.
    Hannah Malach, InStyle, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Guests then dined at the base of the pyramids before enjoying an afterparty and dessert in another area.
    Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Luis is frankly annoyed by this type of music.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Vulnerability is currency on reality television, and after a season of exposing their own struggles and embarrassments, the other women are annoyed that Meredith wants to keep up appearances.
    Tom Smyth, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • And devoured them again Saturday night at Viejas Arena in a sloppy 71-52 win that kept the Aztecs tied with Utah State atop the Mountain West at 5-0.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
  • There are now as many games as there are phones; what used to be a feast that everyone devoured together has been divvied up into a gazillion little snacks gobbled down willy-nilly.
    Rand Richards Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Fuel and water are fed into the chamber, creating a self-sustaining cycle that maintains high pressure during combustion.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The findings are based on data collected by NASA's Mars Curiosity rover in Gale crater and then fed through a climate model.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 14 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The cold never bothered them anyway.
    Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Long stretches of solitude neither bothered him nor appeared to impair his sociability.
    Paige Williams, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Madsen, who has mostly feasted on Mountain West teams but not been sharp against better opponents, even talked this season about how people would come after his family, something that upset him.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 14 Dec. 2025
  • The 30-year-old feasted on a Bengals defense that has struggled to defend tight ends all year.
    Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Ate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ate. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.

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