graze 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈgrāz How to pronounce graze (audio)
Definition of grazenext
as in to pasture
to feed on grass or herbs cows grazing in the meadow

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

graze

2 of 3

verb (2)

1
as in to scrape
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface I grazed my elbow diving for the ball

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to brush
to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing the volleyball just grazed my face, so I'm okay

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

graze

3 of 3

noun

as in bruise
an area of skin roughened or worn away by harsh rubbing against another surface a stumble that resulted in nothing more serious than a graze on the knee

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 graze
Verb
Nagaoka even has a walkable one-mile-long fermentation trail called Hakko Trip, which has six stops and takes about two hours to graze your way along. — Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026 Drought-tolerant species such as coneflowers, coreopsis, calamint, grasses, and even spring bulbs are nestled in that gravel layer, their root balls just grazing the top of the soil below. — Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
The 25-year-old woman was declared dead at the scene, while the other woman was taken to a hospital with a graze gunshot wound. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 These mesmerizing Embden geese graze in large gaggles throughout the tea fields. — Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for graze
Recent Examples of Synonyms for graze
  1. pasture
  2. scrape
  3. brush
  4. bruise
  5. feed
  6. scratch
  7. kiss
  8. abrasion
Verb
  • Sadly, the last Blockbuster (aside from one defiant Bend, Oregon, outlier) went out to pasture in 2014, and independent video stores are an increasingly rare sight.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
  • In Wisconsin, dairy farms are smaller, herds are smaller, and cows are usually sent out to pasture to graze in good weather, which is not easy to come by in Wisconsin.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of pasture
Verb
  • Together, the family scraped together $60,000 from savings and a Small Business Administration loan and opened Panda Inn in Pasadena, California, in 1973.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Burger King has 286 locations in Ohio, according to the data-scraping website ScrapeHero.
    — Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of scrape
Verb
  • Amid this backdrop, cybersecurity companies have skyrocketed in value as businesses recognize the security need and have managed to brush off earlier disruption concerns that rattled the broader software sector this year.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Kusama was called pop, avant-garde, feminist, just to name some of the categories thrown at her, most of which Kusama brushed off as not quite representative of her art.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of brush
Noun
  • Worth noting Right fielder Jung Hoo Lee was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup due to a right elbow bruise.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • One of the book’s more memorable revelations details a physical altercation with his brother that Harry claimed left him with cuts and bruises.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of bruise
Verb
  • For years, brands have worked to both feed into and embed themselves in culture.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Over 38 days, a selection of adult male mice alternated days of feeding with days without access to food.
    — Mike McRae August 25, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of feed
Verb
  • Health officials say people can prevent rabies by keeping bats out of homes, vaccinating their pets and washing bites or scratches with soap and water before seeking medical help.
    — Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Marte began his week by failing to show up to Fenway Park for the team’s game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday and was scratched from the lineup minutes before first pitch.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of scratch
Verb
  • Trees blow in the breeze, birds chirp, and the dappled sunlight kisses our skin as six of us observe the chef and snap photos during our outdoor mayonnaise-making class.
    — Lauren David, Travel + Leisure, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Watts went first, posting a snapshot of McCollough kissing his head to Instagram.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of kiss
Noun
  • Detectives noted that there were no marks or abrasions on her neck, the warrant affidavit said.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The number one safety tip is to not add boiling water to the foot bath, resulting in burns or abrasions to the feet.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of abrasion

Browse Nearby Words

grays
graze
grazed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Graze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/graze. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All