eat
eat — verb
1. to put food into your mouth, chew it with your teeth, and then swallow it so tha
to put food into your mouth, chew it with your teeth, and then swallow it so that your body can use it for energy and growth.
Megan ate a big bowl of noodles for lunch at the new cafe.
eat + specific meal/food as object
After his morning run, Hao always eats an apple and a banana.
habitual present simple with eat
The children ate all the cookies while their mother was in the garden.
The doctor told my grandmother to eat more green vegetables every day.
Talia asked what her guests wanted to eat for breakfast at the hotel.
eat + for + meal name (breakfast/lunch/dinner)
- eat breakfast/lunch/dinner
- eat well
- eat healthily
- eat too much
- eat slowly
- fast
to eat nothing, usually for religious or health reasons
Grammar Patterns
eat + object (food/meal)
eat (without object) — 'Have you eaten?'
Usage Note
Irregular verb: eat → ate (past tense) → eaten (past participle). Common meal collocations: eat breakfast / lunch / dinner. Common adverb collocations: eat well / badly / healthily / too much.
Common Mistakes
2. to accept responsibility for a cost, loss, or expense yourself, rather than aski
to accept responsibility for a cost, loss, or expense yourself, rather than asking a customer or partner to pay it.
The company had to eat the entire loss after the client canceled the order.
eat + financial loss
Small shops often eat the cost of returning faulty goods to keep customers happy.
eat the cost of [something]
The airline agreed to eat the cost of hotel rooms for the stranded passengers.
The builder ate the loss and fixed the roof instead of going to court.
eat the loss = accept financial responsibility
- eat the cost
- eat the loss
- eat the expense
Grammar Patterns
eat + cost/loss/expense
Usage Note
Often used in business contexts about absorbing expenses. The object is typically an unpleasant financial item (cost, loss, expense).
3. to gradually destroy, weaken, or use up something by a continuous chemical or ph
to gradually destroy, weaken, or use up something by a continuous chemical or physical process — for example, rust eating away metal, or costs eating into your savings.
The sea air slowly ate away the metal lock on the old gate.
eat away = gradual destruction by environment
The cost of repairs ate up most of the family's savings for the year.
eat up = consume entirely (financial)
Years of neglect had eaten away at the wooden floorboards in the kitchen.
The rising price of fuel ate into every delivery driver's weekly income.
eat into = consume valuable resources
- eat away at
- eat into
- eat up resources
- rust eats metal
Grammar Patterns
eat + object + away
eat away at + object
eat into + object
Usage Note
Frequently used with phrasal particles: 'away', 'away at', 'up', 'into'. 'Eat away at' emphasizes the gradual, continuous nature of the destruction.
Common Mistakes
4. to trouble or annoy someone in a persistent, nagging way, so that they cannot st
to trouble or annoy someone in a persistent, nagging way, so that they cannot stop thinking about the problem.
Christopher has been silent all morning — I wonder what is eating him today.
what is eating [person]? = what is bothering them?
Guilt ate at Padma for years after she refused to help her brother.
eat at [person] = nagging, persistent worry
Resentment ate at Dario for months after his manager took credit for his work.
eat at + person = ongoing resentment/dissatisfaction
The thought of the final exam ate at Mert until he could not fall asleep.
eat at [person] = gradual mental distress
- what's eating you?
- eat at someone
- guilt eats away at
Grammar Patterns
eat + person (as object)
eat at + person
Usage Note
The fixed question 'What's eating you / him / her?' is a common informal way to ask why someone seems upset or annoyed. Avoid this phrase in formal writing or speech. The phrasal form 'eat at + person' works for ongoing emotional distress ('Jealousy ate at him for years').
Common Mistakes
eat out
phrasal verbto eat a meal at a restaurant rather than at home.
The Wang family decided to eat out at a Japanese restaurant last Friday.
We eat out every Saturday because both parents work late on weekdays.
eat in
phrasal verbto eat a meal at home rather than at a restaurant.
We are too tired to cook, so let us just eat in and order some pizza.
Rachid prefers to eat in during the week to save money on food.
eat up
phrasal verbto eat all of the food that has been given to you; also used figuratively to mean consume entirely, leaving nothing.
Otis told his son to eat up all the beans before he could have dessert.
The new video game system ate up every minute of his free time over the weekend.
eat into
phrasal verbto gradually use or take away a large part of something valuable, especially money, time, or savings.
The rising rent was eating into the family's monthly budget by a worrying amount.
Long meetings eat into the time that the team could spend on actual work.
eat away / eat away at
phrasal verbto gradually damage, weaken, or destroy something over time, either physically (e.g. rust on metal) or emotionally (e.g. guilt).
Rust had been eating away at the old iron gate for many years.
The acid in the rain slowly ate away the surface of the stone statue.
eat away
phrasal verbTo gradually destroy or damage something over time.
The acid ate away the metal surface.
Time will eat away at the stone.
eat away at
phrasal verbTo gradually reduce or destroy something, or to make someone feel worried over time.
Guilt was eating away at him for weeks.
The constant criticism ate away at her confidence.
eat like a horse
idiomto eat a very large amount of food; to have a big appetite.
Despite being small, Mauricio eats like a horse and never gains any weight.
After the long hike, everyone ate like a horse at the mountain restaurant.
eat like a bird
idiomto eat only a very small amount of food; to have a small appetite.
My aunt eats like a bird — half a sandwich is enough to fill her up.
The doctor told Ramón he eats like a bird and needs to add more protein to his meals.
A situation where people compete very hard and are willing to hurt others to succeed.
In the startup world, it's often a case of dog eat dog.
Maya learned that politics is a dog-eat-dog business.
eat somebody alive
idiomTo criticize or punish someone very severely because you are extremely angry with them.
The coach will eat you alive if you miss practice again.
If the boss finds out, she'll eat him alive.
eat dirt
idiomTo accept bad treatment or humiliation without fighting back.
He had to eat dirt and apologize for the mistake.
Sara refused to eat dirt and stood up for herself.
An encouragement to enjoy life now without worrying about the future.
After finals, we decided to eat, drink and be merry.
Why not eat, drink and be merry while you're young?
eat your heart out!
idiomUsed to boast that someone or something is better than another person or thing.
Look at my new car! Eat your heart out, Tom!
She sang so well—eat your heart out, Beyoncé!
To feel very unhappy because you want someone or something you cannot have.
He's been eating his heart out for her since she left.
Don't eat your heart out over that job; you'll find another.
eat humble pie
idiomTo admit that you were wrong and apologize for a mistake.
After losing the bet, he had to eat humble pie.
The politician ate humble pie and withdrew his statement.
To trust someone completely and be willing to do whatever they say.
The kids will eat out of her hand if she gives them candy.
Within a week, the new manager had them eating out of his hand.
To eat a very large amount of someone else's food, often causing a burden.
My teenage son is eating us out of house and home.
The guests ate them out of house and home during the holiday.
eat your words
idiomTo admit that what you said earlier was wrong.
He predicted I'd fail, but I made him eat his words.
When the results came out, she had to eat her words.
To want to enjoy both sides of a situation that are usually impossible to have together.
You can't have your cake and eat it—choose one.
She wants a high salary and lots of free time, but she can't have her cake and eat it.
I could eat a horse
idiomUsed to say that you are very hungry.
After the hike, I could eat a horse.
I skipped lunch, so now I could eat a horse.
I’ll eat my hat
idiomUsed to say that you think something is extremely unlikely to happen.
If he finishes on time, I'll eat my hat.
She'll never apologize—I'll eat my hat if she does.
Looking very pleased with yourself, especially after doing something clever or secret.
After winning the prize, she looked like the cat that ate the canary.
He had that smug grin like the cat that swallowed the canary.
Used to ask what is annoying or worrying someone.
What's eating him? He's been quiet all day.
What's eating you? You seem upset.
eat — noun
1. things that you can eat; food — used especially in an informal way when talking
things that you can eat; food — used especially in an informal way when talking about snacks or simple meals.
We packed some eats and drinks for the picnic at the seaside park.
eats (plural) = snacks/food for an outing
The night market is full of delicious eats from all across Asia.
The store sells ready-made eats for people who do not have time to cook.
There are plenty of vegan eats at the food trucks by the university campus.
eats (plural) = food items, informal usage
- good eats
- great eats
- street eats
- party eats
Usage Note
Most commonly used in the plural form 'eats'. Found in informal contexts such as conversations about parties, picnics, markets, and street food.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All four words relate to taking in food, but they differ in register and emphasis. 'Have' is the most common alternative in everyday speech ('I had a sandwich for lunch') and is less focused on the physical act of chewing and swallowing. 'Consume' is more formal and clinical, often used in scientific or nutritional contexts ('The body consumes calories during exercise'). 'Devour' adds the idea of eating quickly and eagerly, with an emotional intensity ('The hungry travelers devoured the meal in minutes'). 'Dine' is more formal and refers specifically to eating a meal — especially the main evening meal — often in an elegant setting ('They dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant'). For everyday use, 'have' is the best alternative; for emphasis on speed or hunger, use 'devour'; for formal writing, choose 'consume' or 'dine' depending on context.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'eat' comes from Old English 'etan', which goes back to a very ancient Proto-Indo-European root '*ed-', meaning 'to eat'. This root appears in many languages: Latin 'edere', Greek 'edō', and Sanskrit 'admi'. The general structure of the word has stayed very similar for over a thousand years, though the spelling and pronunciation have changed. The past tense 'ate' and past participle 'eaten' preserve ancient patterns of vowel change that were once regular in Old English.