eat
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: ēt
ipa: /iːt/
enpr: ēt
ipa: /it/
rhymes: -iːt
Forms: form: eats
form: eating
form: ate
form: et
form: eat
form: eaten
form: etten
form: ate
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: eat
form: eat
form: ate
form: et
form: eat
form: eat
form: eatest
form: ate
form: et
form: eat
form: atest
form: eats
form: eateth
form: ate
form: et
form: eat
form: eat
form: ate
form: et
form: eat
form: eat
form: ate
form: et
form: eat
form: eat
form: -
form: eating
form: eaten
form: etten
form: eat
Etymology: From Middle English eten, from Old English etan (“to eat”), from Proto-West Germanic *etan, from Proto-Germanic *etaną (“to eat”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁édti, from *h₁ed- (“to eat”).
Cognates
Cognate with Scots ait (“to eat”), Yola at, ayth, eight (“to eat”), North Frisian iidj, iit, ääse (“to eat”), Saterland Frisian iete, íete (“to eat”), West Frisian ite (“to eat”), Alemannic German asse, assu, essen, ässe, ässä (“to eat”), Bavarian eisn, essn, èssn (“to eat”), Cimbrian èssan, èzzan (“to eat”), Dutch, Low German eten (“to eat”), German essen (“to eat”), Luxembourgish iessen (“to eat”), Mòcheno èssn (“to eat”), Vilamovian aosa (“to eat”), Yiddish עסן (esn, “to eat”), Danish æde (“to eat”), Elfdalian jätå (“to eat”), Faroese eta (“to eat”), Icelandic eta, éta (“to eat”), Norwegian Bokmål ete (“to eat”), Norwegian Nynorsk eta, ete, åtå (“to eat”), Swedish äta (“to eat”), Gothic 𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (itan, “to eat”).
Senses: examples: text: He's eating an apple. / Don't disturb me now; can't you see that I'm eating?
text: But meate commendeth vs not to God: for neither if we eate, are we the better: neither if wee eate not, are we the woꝛſe.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Corinthians 8:8, column 2:
text: At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap orred tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs.
ref: 1892, Walter Besant, chapter II, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:
text: But Richmond[…]appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw[…]that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either.
ref: 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
text: Shepard: Everyone on this station is chafing under Anoleis' extortion. You might end up a hero.
Lorik Qui'in: My employers rely on the goodwill of the Executive Board to work here.
Wrex: If these "executives" don't blame Anoleis for provoking this, they're fools. You should eat them.
ref: 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Noveria:
glosses: To ingest; to be ingested.
To consume (something solid or semi-solid, usually food) by putting it into the mouth and swallowing it.
synonyms: consume
swallow
examples: text: What time do we eat this evening?
text: I eat in the kitchen.
ref: 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
glosses: To ingest; to be ingested.
To consume a meal.
synonyms: dine
chow down
feed one's face
examples: text: It's a soup that eats like a meal.
text: I don't know any quarter in England where you get such undeniable mutton—mutton that eats like mutton, instead of the nasty watery, stringy, turnipy stuff, neither mutton nor lamb, that other countries are inundated with.
ref: 1852, The New Monthly Magazine, page 310:
text: [D]ish him with thlitheth of orangeth, barberrieth, grapeth, goothberrieth, and butter; and you will find that he eaths deliciouthly either with farced pain or gammon pain.
ref: 1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, “In Which the Minstrelsy Proceeds”, in The House by the Church-yard. […], volume I, London: Tinsley, Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 73:
english: [D]ish him [the fish] with slices of oranges, barberries, grapes, gooseberries, and butter; and you will find that he eats deliriously either with farced pain or gammon pain.
translation: [D]ish him [the fish] with slices of oranges, barberries, grapes, gooseberries, and butter; and you will find that he eats deliriously either with farced pain or gammon pain.
bold_translation_offsets: 118
122
glosses: To ingest; to be ingested.
To be eaten.
glosses: To ingest; to be ingested.
To have a particular quality of diet; to be well-fed or underfed (typically as "eat healthy" or "eat good").
examples: text: This project is eating up all the money.
text: His wretched estate is eaten up with mortgages.
ref: 1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858–1859, →OCLC:
glosses: To use up.
To destroy, consume, or use up.
examples: text: A bigger problem, however, is that if you catch/eat an exception and do nothing with it, you are very likely introducing subtle bugs in your application that will be next to impossible to track down.
ref: 2005, Wallace B. McClure, Gregory A. Beamer, John J. Croft IV, Professional ADO.NET 2, page 246:
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
programming
sciences
glosses: To use up.
To consume (an exception, an event, etc.) so that other parts of the program do not receive it.
examples: text: The VHS recorder just ate the tape and won't spit it out.
text: John is late for the meeting because the photocopier ate his report.
text: No! There's a problem with the cassette player. Don't press fast forward or it eats the tape!
ref: 1991, Shane Black, The Last Boy Scout (movie)
glosses: To use up.
To damage, destroy, or fail to eject a removable part or an inserted object.
raw_tags: of a device
examples: text: The video game in the corner just ate my quarter.
text: Hey! This stupid [soda vending] machine ate my quarter.
ref: 1977, Nancy Dowd, Slap Shot (movie)
glosses: To use up.
To consume money (or other instruments of value, such as a token) deposited or inserted by a user, while failing to either provide the intended product or service or return the payment.
raw_tags: of a vending machine or similar device
examples: text: What's eating you?
synonyms: bother
disturb
worry
glosses: To cause (someone) to worry.
examples: text: I have to have him in court tomorrow, if he doesn't show up, I forfeit the bond and I have to eat the $300,000.
ref: 1988, George Gallo, Midnight Run (movie)
text: The server made an error when taking the order. The bartender prepared two scorpion bowls. When the error was realized the bartender was faced with having to "eat" the extra scorpion bowl […]
ref: 1999, Ronald S. Beitman, Liquor Liability: A Primer for Winning Your Case, page 27:
text: When they were doing it with the valuation professionals, they were billing the client, but the valuation professional in a lot of those early cases had to eat the cost of showing the auditor how the auditors' test model was incorrect.
ref: 2011, Lorenzo Carver, Venture Capital Valuation:
topics: business
glosses: To take the loss in a transaction.
examples: text: I risk my whole future, the hatred of the cops and Eddie Mars' gang. I dodge bullets and eat saps.
ref: 1944, William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett, Jules Furthman, The Big Sleep (screenplay)
text: And, of course, there was Brian Rusk, who had eaten a bullet at the ripe old age of eleven.
ref: 1991, Stephen King, Needful Things:
text: Friends are only necessary in the ghastly country, where you have to have them, along with rubber boots and a barometer and secateurs, to put off bucolic idiocy, a wet brain, or eating the 12-bore.
ref: 1997, A. A. Gill, "Diary" (in The Spectator, 1 November 1997)
text: Mike had been to other calls where someone had eaten a gun. He knew to expect teeth embedded in the ceiling and brains dripping off it.
ref: 2012, Kaya McLaren, How I Came to Sparkle Again: A Novel, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN:
text: The animal was sweating and scared and MacAdams was surprised when they finished up without either of them eating a kick.
ref: 2017, Edward W. Robertson, Stardust, Edward W. Robertson:
text: There was a resounding smacking noise and Georgy was sure Philip had just eaten a fist.
ref: 2018, Daniel Tomazic, Of Bullies and Men: Young Adult Fiction, →ISBN, page 18:
glosses: To be injured or killed by (something such as a firearm or its projectile), especially in the mouth.
examples: text: The acid rain ate away the statue.  The strong acid eats through the metal.
glosses: To corrode or erode.
examples: text: Eat me!
text: I ate his ass.
text: Yeah, eat that dick / eat that pussy.
synonyms: eat out
glosses: To perform oral sex (on a person or body part).
examples: text: You ate that performance!
text: This song eats!
text: Lorde and Charli XCX confronted each other via song like some kind of alt-pop musical-theater number, and it ate. “The girl, so confusing version with lorde,” like all the best pop music, features multiple moments that burrow into your brain and refuse to leave, giving you no other choice but to simply relisten to the track.
ref: 2024 June 21, Jason P. Frank, “Who Else Needs to Work It Out on a Remix?”, in Vulture:
synonyms: word: devour
word: eat and leave no crumbs
word: bang
word: rock
word: slap
word: bang
word: devour
word: eat
word: eat and leave no crumbs
word: excel
word: go hard
word: kick
word: kick ass
word: rock
word: rule
word: shine
word: slap
word: slay
glosses: To be very good; to rule, to slay.
glosses: To annex.
Synonyms: word: eat
word: have
word: fret
Hypernyms: word: ingest
Hyponyms: word: bolt
word: chomp down on
word: devour
word: eat like a bird
word: eat like a horse
word: eat like a pig
word: eat one's fill
word: fress
word: gobble
word: gobble down
word: gobble up
word: gorge
word: gormandize
word: guttle
word: ingurgitate
word: make a pig of oneself
word: nibble
word: pig
word: raven
word: scarf
word: scarf up
word: scarf down
word: scoff
word: scoff down
word: scoff up
word: snack
word: snarf
word: wolf
word: wolf down
word: wolf up
word: woof
Meronyms: word: bite
word: champ
word: chew
word: chomp
word: gnaw
word: masticate
word: mumble
word: munch
word: swallow
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: all cows eat grass
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: all-eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: all-you-can-eat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: anteating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: appetite comes with eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: ass eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: big fish eat little fish
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: binge eat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: binge eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: binge eating disorder
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: bitch eating crackers
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: bite to eat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: bone-eating snot flower worm
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: cat that ate the canary
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: chalk-eating weasel
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: cheese eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: cheese-eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: cheese-eating surrender monkey
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: cheese-eating surrender monkeys
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: clean eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: comfort-eat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: comfort eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: competitive eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: could eat the arse out of a low flying duck
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: could eat the crotch out of a low flying duck
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: could eat the crutch from a low flying duck
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: crab-eating fox
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: crab-eating frog
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: crab-eating macaque
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: crab-eating raccoon
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: crab-eating rat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: crab-eating zorro
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: dog-eat-dog
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: dog eat dog
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: don't shit where you eat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat a bag of dicks
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eatability
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eatable
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat a burger
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat a dick
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eatage
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat-all-you-can
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat and leave no crumbs
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat and run
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat an elephant one bite at a time
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat ass
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eatathon
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat away
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat away at
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat beaver
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat boiled crow
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat cookie
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat crow
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat cunt
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat dirt
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat down
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eater
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eatertainment
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eatery
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eaterie
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat for breakfast
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat for two
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat from someone's hand
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat from the palm of someone's hand
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat humble pie
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat-in
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat in
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eating ass
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eating club
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eating-disordered
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eating establishment
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eating knife
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat into
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat it
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat lead
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat like a bird
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat like a horse
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat like an animal
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat like a pig
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat my ass
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat my dust
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat my shorts
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's cake and have it too
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's dinners
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's emotions
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's feelings
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's fill
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's gun
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's hat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's head off
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's heart
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's heart out
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's own
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's own dog food
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's pride
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's seed corn
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's terms
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's Wheaties
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's words
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat one's young
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat-out
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat out
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat out of someone's hand
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat out of the palm of someone's hand
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat pussy
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eats
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat shit
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat someone alive
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat someone for breakfast
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat someone out of house and home
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat someone's ass
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat someone's dust
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat someone's heart
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat someone's lunch
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat something up
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat something up with a spoon
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat the baby
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat the bread of idleness
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat the leek
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat the mic
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat the onion
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat the rich
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat the seed corn
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat to windward
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat twat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat up
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat up with a spoon
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eat what you kill
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: eatworthy
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: fire eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: fish-eating crocodile
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: fish-eating grin
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: fish-eating rat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: flesh-eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: flesh-eating disease
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: floor one could eat off
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: fress
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: go and eat coke
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: good enough to eat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: grin like a mule eating briars
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: have one's cake and eat it
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: have one's cake and eat it too
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: have you eaten
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: heat-and-eat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: how the cow ate the cabbage
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: I could eat a brick
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: I could eat a horse
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: I don't eat beef
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: I don't eat fish
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: I don't eat meat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: I don't eat pork
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: lotus-eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: maneating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: man-eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: meat-eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: miseat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: monkey-eating eagle
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: never eat shredded wheat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: never eat soggy waffles
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: never eat soggy wheat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: night eating syndrome
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: noneating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: opium-eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: outeat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: overeat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: pay-as-you-eat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: pussy eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: real men don't eat quiche
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: seedeating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: selective eating disorder
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: shit-eating grin
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: shit-eating smile
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: sleep-eat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: sleepeat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: smile like a mule eating briars
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: the cat would eat fish but would not wet her feet
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: the dog ate my homework
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: the proof is in the eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: the proof of the pudding is in the eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: the vine that ate the South
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: toadeating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: undereat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: uneat
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: uneating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: what's eating
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: what's eating you
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: what's eating you?
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: worm-eaten
sense: Terms derived from eat (verb)
word: you are what you eat
Related terms: word: fret
word: ort
word: drink
word: edible
word: food
word: eat someone out of house and home
word: mouthful
word: taste