eat
Pronounced:
/ˈi:t/
Function:
verbInflected forms:
eats; ate /ˈeɪt, Brit ˈɛt, ˈeɪt/ eat·en /ˈi:tn̩/ eat·ing Meaning:
1 : to take food into your mouth and swallow it [+ obj] ▪ You'll feel better if you eat something. ▪ I ate a big breakfast so I'm not very hungry. ▪ Let's grab a bite to eat. = Let's get something to eat. ▪ I've been trying to watch what I eat. [=to be more careful about eating healthy foods and not eating too much] [no obj] ▪ I'm hungry. Let's eat. ▪ They like to eat at home. ▪ It's important to eat right. [=to eat healthy foods] ◊To eat out is to dine at a restaurant rather than at home. ▪ We like to eat out on Fridays. ◊To eat in is to dine at home. ▪ Let's eat in tonight.
2 : to gradually destroy, use, or take away something : to wear something away [+ obj] —usually + away ▪ The rocks were eaten away by erosion. [no obj] —usually + into, away at, or at ▪ Marketing costs ate into their profits. ▪ The acids were eating away at the metal finish. ▪ The failure of his business has eaten away at his confidence.
3 [+ obj] informal : to bother or annoy (someone) ▪ What's eating you?
2 : to gradually destroy, use, or take away something : to wear something away [+ obj] —usually + away ▪ The rocks were eaten away by erosion. [no obj] —usually + into, away at, or at ▪ Marketing costs ate into their profits. ▪ The acids were eating away at the metal finish. ▪ The failure of his business has eaten away at his confidence.
3 [+ obj] informal : to bother or annoy (someone) ▪ What's eating you?
be eating out of someone's hand
: to be completely controlled by someone ▪ He had them eating out of his hand. [=he controlled them completely]
eat a horse —see 1horse
eat crow (US) or eat humble pie
informal : to admit that you were wrong or accept that you have been defeated ▪ He was forced to eat crow when the company fired him. ▪ They had to eat humble pie when the rumors they were spreading were proved false.
eat light —see 5light
eat (someone or something) alive
1 of insects : to bite (someone or something) many times ▪ The mosquitoes were eating us alive. [=we were being bitten frequently by many mosquitoes]
2 : to badly defeat or harm someone or something ▪ Their competitors are going to eat them alive if they don't cut their prices. ▪ If this story gets out, the press will eat him alive.
2 : to badly defeat or harm someone or something ▪ Their competitors are going to eat them alive if they don't cut their prices. ▪ If this story gets out, the press will eat him alive.
eat someone's or something's lunch —see 1lunch
eat up [phrasal verb]
1 —used to tell someone to start or continue eating ▪ Eat up! Your dinner is getting cold.
2 eat up (something) or eat (something) up a : to eat all of (something) ▪ Eat your dinner up before it gets cold. b : to use up (time, resources, etc.) ▪ This project has been eating up a large part of the budget. ▪ Your savings may be eaten up by inflation.
3 ◊A person who is eaten up with or by jealousy, bitterness, etc., cannot escape that feeling and is made unhappy by it. ▪ He was eaten up with envy of his brother's success.
4 eat (something) up informal : to enjoy (something) greatly ▪ I thought the speech was stupid, but the audience ate it up.
2 eat up (something) or eat (something) up a : to eat all of (something) ▪ Eat your dinner up before it gets cold. b : to use up (time, resources, etc.) ▪ This project has been eating up a large part of the budget. ▪ Your savings may be eaten up by inflation.
3 ◊A person who is eaten up with or by jealousy, bitterness, etc., cannot escape that feeling and is made unhappy by it. ▪ He was eaten up with envy of his brother's success.
4 eat (something) up informal : to enjoy (something) greatly ▪ I thought the speech was stupid, but the audience ate it up.
eat up the clock —see 1clock
eat your fill —see 2fill
eat your heart out
: to be jealous ▪ “Eat your heart out,” he jokingly told his friend before getting on his new boat.
eat your words
: to take back what you have said : to admit that you were wrong about something ▪ She said she would eat her words if the wedding was called off. ▪ They promised success, but if things don't get better soon, they may have to eat their words.
I'll eat my hat
informal + old-fashioned —used to say that something will not happen or cannot be true ▪ If he wins the election, I'll eat my hat! [=I don't believe he has any chance to win the election]
the proof of the pudding is in the eating —see pudding
—eat·able /ˈi:əbəl/ adjective ▪ an eatable [=(more commonly) edible] plant
/ˈi:əbəl/ adjective ▪ an eatable [=(more commonly) edible] plant—eat·er noun plural eat·ers [count] ▪ a picky eater [=someone who dislikes many kinds of food] ▪ a big eater [=someone who eats a lot]
synonyms eat, consume, and devour mean to chew and swallow food. eat is a general word that can apply to any manner of taking in food. ▪ Eat your dinner. consume suggests completely eating something up so that none is left. ▪ By noon they had consumed all of their food supplies. devour suggests eating quickly and greedily. ▪ The hungry children devoured the grapes.