1
as in welcomed
to receive or accept gladly or readily
predictably, moviegoers ate up the sequel to last summer's blockbuster
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in consumed
to destroy all trace of
the surf created by a powerful hurricane could really eat up what's left of the island's eastern beach
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ate (up)
Verb
-
Many Japanese, frustrated by China's growing assertiveness, welcomed her comments on Taiwan.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026 -
Others, however, took issue with Kimmel’s comments immediately following Kirk’s assassination, and welcomed his show going off the air.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Love may be in the air this Valentine’s Day, but Berlin had better get ready to be consumed by Lust.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Ogden consumed Newell’s videos like candy.—
Bill Donahue,
Outside,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But across Florida, most local governments have embraced the idea that careful planning is one of the best ways to create sustainable, balanced communities.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
-
By the time Saturday’s competition was completed, by the time Johnson vanquished San Antonio Spurs rookie forward Carter Bryant in the championship round, the charisma of the Bay Area product had enveloped the Los Angeles Clippers’ arena to the degree that he was being embraced as one of their own.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Ate (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ate%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
