Synonyms of eat

eat 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈēt 

1

as in to consume

to take in as food

having gone all day without food, we greedily ate the hamburgers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• consume
• chew
• devour
• lick
• swallow
• ingest
• partake (of)
• digest
• taste
• tuck (away or in)
• put away
• dine
• put down
• mouth (down)
• savor
• pick (at)
• scoff
• relish
• munch
• wolf
• breakfast
• gulp
• gobble (up or down)
• snack
• gorge
• feast
• nibble (on)
• chow (down on)
• slop
• gnaw (at or on)
• lunch
• gum
• swill
• glut (on)
• down
• fare
• banquet
• lap
• snarf (down)
• sup
• regale
• polish off
• nurse
• bolt
• pig out
• nosh
• gormandize
• dispatch

2

as in to erode

to consume or wear away gradually

the pot's protective coating was eaten away by the acid

Synonyms & Similar Words

• erode
• bite (at)
• destroy
• gnaw
• nibble
• corrode
• decompose
• fret
• dissolve
• ruin
• disintegrate
• waste
• wreck
• break down
• break up
• decimate
• devastate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restore
• recreate
• regenerate
• revive
• renew
• refresh
• freshen
• revitalize
• rejuvenate
• refreshen

3

as in to dine

to take a meal

where's the best place to eat in this town?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dine
• feed
• snack
• feast
• partake
• nibble
• fare
• refresh
• break bread
• lunch
• breakfast
• victual
• picnic
• overeat
• banquet
• graze
• gorge
• overfeed
• chow (down)
• pick
• dine out
• glut
• board
• mess
• repast
• dig in
• nosh
• sup
• pig out
• gormandize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• diet
• fast

4

as in to bother

to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts

it really eats me the way people go to national parks to enjoy nature—and then leave their litter behind

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bother
• annoy
• bug
• get
• irritate
• persecute
• aggravate
• wear on
• get to
• worry
• burn (up)
• put out
• spite
• itch
• grate
• frost
• anger
• gall
• exasperate
• ruffle
• tease
• nettle
• hack (off)
• rile
• plague
• vex
• irk
• infuriate
• gripe
• provoke
• chafe
• rasp
• pique
• rub the wrong way
• stick in one's craw
• peeve
• insult
• set one's teeth on edge
• nark
• get one's goat
• harass
• upset
• offend
• get on one's nerves
• nag
• devil
• heckle
• rouse
• bait
• exercise
• pester
• hassle
• enrage
• antagonize
• inflame
• badger
• agitate
• harry
• discomfort
• distress
• incense
• rankle
• outrage
• unsettle
• bullyrag
• discompose
• perturb
• undo
• roil
• unhinge
• fret
• affront
• disquiet
• hagride
• madden
• freak (out)
• miff

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• appease
• placate
• oblige
• please
• pacify
• satisfy
• conciliate
• gratify
• delight
• propitiate
• assure
• mollify
• comfort
• cheer
• content
• reassure
• quiet
• soothe
• console
• gladden
• solace

eat (up)

2 of 3

verb (2)

1

as in to welcome

to receive or accept gladly or readily

predictably, moviegoers ate up the sequel to last summer's blockbuster

Synonyms & Similar Words

• welcome
• embrace
• drink (in)
• lap (up)
• greet
• enjoy
• like
• take up
• hail
• adopt
• choose
• prefer
• espouse
• decide (on)
• select
• pick
• opt (for)
• elect
• single (out)
• take
• name
• cull
• handpick
• cherry-pick

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pass up
• refuse
• reject
• turn down
• decline
• balk (at)
• object (to)
• throw over
• spurn
• demur (to)

2

as in to ruin

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

• consume
• ruin
• devour
• use up
• demolish
• drain
• wreck
• eradicate
• wipe out
• devastate
• shatter
• deplete
• spend
• stamp (out)
• extinguish
• exhaust
• gut
• tear down
• blot out
• expend
• desolate
• waste
• remove
• obliterate
• extirpate
• exterminate
• annihilate
• smash
• rub out
• decimate
• pulverize
• do in
• raze

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protect
• save
• preserve
• build
• raise
• conserve
• construct
• put up
• erect

ate

3 of 3

verb (3)

past tense of eat

1

as in consumed

to take in as food

having gone all day without food, we greedily ate the hamburgers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• consumed
• devoured
• chewed
• licked
• ingested
• swallowed
• tasted
• tucked (away or in)
• partook (of)
• digested
• dined
• put away
• scoffed
• picked (at)
• wolfed
• gulped
• savored
• put down
• munched
• relished
• feasted
• gorged
• downed
• slopped
• glutted (on)
• mouthed (down)
• supped
• gobbled (up or down)
• lunched
• gnawed (at or on)
• breakfasted
• nibbled (on)
• lapped
• bolted
• swilled
• snacked
• regaled
• fared
• gummed
• banqueted
• chowed (down on)
• snarfed (down)
• nursed
• noshed
• dispatched
• polished off
• pigged out
• gormandized

2

as in eroded

to consume or wear away gradually

the pot's protective coating was eaten away by the acid

Synonyms & Similar Words

• eroded
• destroyed
• gnawed
• bit (at)
• nibbled
• corroded
• decomposed
• fretted
• ruined
• dissolved
• wrecked
• disintegrated
• wasted
• devastated
• decimated
• broke down
• broke up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restored
• revived
• recreated
• renewed
• refreshed
• regenerated
• freshened
• revitalized
• rejuvenated
• refreshened

3

as in dined

to take a meal

where's the best place to eat in this town?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dined
• fed
• feasted
• snacked
• partook
• nibbled
• fared
• refreshed
• broke bread
• lunched
• picnicked
• banqueted
• gorged
• victualed
• breakfasted
• supped
• glutted
• grazed
• overfed
• messed
• boarded
• picked
• overate
• dug in
• noshed
• repasted
• dined out
• chowed (down)
• pigged out
• gormandized

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fasted
• dieted

4

as in annoyed

to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts

it really eats me the way people go to national parks to enjoy nature—and then leave their litter behind

Synonyms & Similar Words

• annoyed
• bothered
• bugged
• got
• persecuted
• irritated
• aggravated
• itched
• got to
• grated
• wore on
• griped
• worried
• burned (up)
• put out
• frosted
• chafed
• irked
• hacked (off)
• vexed
• teased
• ruffled
• angered
• riled
• peeved
• rasped
• nettled
• infuriated
• exasperated
• spited
• galled
• provoked
• piqued
• plagued
• insulted
• narked
• rubbed the wrong way
• stuck in one's craw
• got one's goat
• set one's teeth on edge
• harassed
• got on one's nerves
• nagged
• upset
• heckled
• offended
• roused
• enraged
• exercised
• hassled
• pestered
• badgered
• inflamed
• baited
• deviled
• antagonized
• incensed
• unsettled
• rankled
• agitated
• fretted
• harried
• perturbed
• distressed
• disquieted
• roiled
• maddened
• outraged
• bullyragged
• affronted
• miffed
• hagrode
• undid
• discomposed
• freaked (out)
• unhinged
• discomforted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obliged
• appeased
• satisfied
• pacified
• pleased
• mollified
• delighted
• gratified
• placated
• assured
• cheered
• propitiated
• contented
• comforted
• conciliated
• reassured
• consoled
• soothed
• quieted
• gladdened
• solaced

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of eat

Verb

Critics warn, though, that a benefit cap could eat into benefits for the middle class. —Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026

Many native trees in the park’s forest have been crowded out by invasive plants, killed by disease or eaten by deer, rabbits and squirrels. —ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026

Verb

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

Phrases Containing eat

• eat (up)
• eat alive
• eat one's heart out