eat 
/ˈi:t/ verb
eats; ate /ˈi:t/ verb /ˈeɪt, Brit ˈɛt, ˈeɪt/; eat·en /ˈi:tn̩/; eat·ing 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?
▪ We like to eat out on Fridays. ◊To eat in is to dine at home.
▪ Let's eat in tonight.
▪ 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]
▪ 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.
▪ 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.
▪ The mosquitoes were eating us alive. [=we were being bitten frequently by many mosquitoes]
▪ 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.
▪ 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.
▪ He was eaten up with envy of his brother's success.
▪ 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 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.
▪ 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]
▪ 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.
▪ 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.
