Skip to main content
to eat

to eat

∞ 1.0
Put food or drink into your mouth, chew it and swallow it
  • verb
  • /it/
: comer
  • Just going up to the drugstore to get something to eat.
  • eat food
  • eat meat
  • eat lunch

It's time to go home and eat and edit.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The next step is to eat whole, real foods.

  • Now we are going to eat a smash burger.

  • You are learning to walk, eat, run and talk.

  • You guys always eat in the kitchen anyway.

  • We might as well just eat, right?

  • You can eat with her.

  • We are going to eat our tuna balls.

  • The materials centered around seven healthy messages: eat more fruits and vegetables, drink more.

    Academic text (2013)
  • You know, mister, I don't think you get enough to eat.

  • She loves to eat fruits and vegetables every day for better health.

Synonyms

to have
vsto eat
∞ 1.0

To eat or drink as part of a meal

refers to the physical sequence of putting food in the mouth and swallowing
to swallow
vsto eat
357 1.0

To make food or drink move from the mouth into the stomach

is the full mouth chewing and swallowing process, not only the throat movement
to consume
vsto eat
198 2.4

To eat or drink something

is the basic act of putting food into the mouth and swallowing after chewing
to feed
vsto eat
168 1.0

To eat food, especially for animals

is the general process of putting food into the mouth and swallowing
to dine
vsto eat
  • Formal
121 1.3

To eat the main meal of the day, often with other people

is the basic mouth chewing and swallowing action, not limited to dinner
to feed on
vsto eat
101 2.9

To eat something or get strength and ideas from it

is the simple act of putting food in the mouth and swallowing, not sustained dependence
to eat up
vsto eat
90 2.8

Completely swallow something like land or light

is the basic mouth chewing and swallowing action rather than a figurative total use
to ingest
vsto eat
76 3.6

To eat or drink something so it goes into your body

describes the everyday act of putting food in the mouth and chewing
to take a bite
vsto eat
62 1.4

To eat a small piece of food or reduce something a little

is the continuous mouth chewing and swallowing action, not a tiny taste
to nibble
vsto eat
55 2.0

To eat small, gentle bites slowly or a little at a time

is the full mouth chewing and swallowing action rather than small gentle bites
to gobble
vsto eat
54 2.6

To eat food quickly and noisily without chewing properly

is the ordinary mouth chewing and swallowing done with normal care rather than noisy haste
to gobble up
vsto eat
  • Informal
36 3.0

To eat something quickly and eagerly

is the basic act of putting food into the mouth and swallowing, not rapid eagerness
to chomp
vsto eat
32 4.0

To bite or chew food loudly with big jaw movements

is the overall mouth chewing and swallowing process rather than forceful jaw noise
to chow
vsto eat
  • Informal
23 8.0

To eat food quickly and eagerly

is the neutral physical act of putting food in the mouth and swallowing
to have a bite
vsto eat
23 1.8

Eat a small amount of food as a quick snack

is the basic mouth chewing and swallowing action rather than a light snack
to take in
vsto eat
23 2.5

Eat or drink something

is the simple act of putting food into the mouth and swallowing
to gorge
vsto eat
19 5.9

To eat a very large amount of food greedily

is the ordinary mouth chewing and swallowing action without greedy overconsumption
to munch on
vsto eat
  • Informal
15 2.9

To eat something while chewing loudly and enjoying it

is the basic mouth chewing and swallowing action, not noisy continuous chewing
to devour
vsto eat
15 2.9

To eat food quickly because you are very hungry

is the simple mouth chewing and swallowing action without extreme eagerness
to graze
vsto eat
12 3.8

Eat small amounts of food during the day instead of a full meal

is the single act of putting food into the mouth and swallowing, not continuous snacking
to partake
vsto eat
  • Formal
7 6.5

To eat or drink with other people at a meal

is the act of putting food in the mouth and swallowing, not group sharing
to pick
vsto eat
5 3.6

To eat small amounts and not finish a meal

is the complete mouth chewing and swallowing process rather than piecemeal snacking
to masticate
vsto eat
4 7.9

To chew food by biting and grinding it with the teeth

is the full sequence including putting food into the mouth and swallowing, not only chewing
to tuck in
vsto eat
  • UK
2 4.0

To eat a lot of food eagerly

is the simple mouth chewing and swallowing action without special eagerness or excess
to ingurgitate
vsto eat
  • Formal
1 9.9

To eat a lot of food very quickly

is the normal mouth chewing and swallowing action without immoderate excess
to nom
vsto eat
  • Slang
1 9.9

To eat something quickly and enjoy it

is the non-slang act of putting food into the mouth and swallowing
to browse
vsto eat
1 3.9

To eat small amounts of different foods instead of a full meal

is the whole mouth chewing and swallowing act, not merely light sampling
to englut
vsto eat
  • Archaic
9.9

To eat too much food in a greedy way

is the ordinary mouth chewing and swallowing action without excessive greed

Antonyms

192 1.7

To be very hungry and possibly die from no food

34 4.6

To not eat or drink for a time

Idioms

Defeat someone easily without much effort

to eat shit
  • Offensive
26 9.9

Tell someone in a rude way to go away or warn they will be badly embarrassed

7 7.4

To be left far behind by someone in a race or game

to eat crow
  • Informal
6 8.9

To admit you were wrong and feel embarrassed

to eat their own
  • Literature
6 9.5

To turn against people in your own group

6 3.9

So pretty it looks like you could eat it

to eat dirt
  • Informal
5 8.9

To admit you are wrong and accept feeling ashamed, often unwillingly

to eat like a pig
  • Offensive
5 7.8

To eat in a very messy and greedy way

4 8.4

Beat someone easily to show you are much better

to eat Wheaties
  • Informal
4 9.9

To feel full of energy and ready to do a big task

4 8.6

To beat someone in business by taking their customers and sales

3 8.3

Very hungry and wanting to eat a lot

eat my shorts
  • Offensive
3 9.9

Tell someone you strongly refuse or do not believe them as a joke

2 7.9

To admit you are wrong and feel embarrassed

to eat lead
  • Offensive
2 9.9

To be shot at with bullets

2 4.9

To eat a very large amount of food

To eat so much at someone's home that they have almost no food left

to eat their young
  • Literature
2 9.9

To harm or betray people in your own group to help yourself

1 6.0

To eat only a very small amount of food

1 9.9

To cause trouble by acting badly where you work or live

eat the rich
  • Informal
1 9.8

A chant people use to protest the rich and call for sharing wealth, often in a joking way

1 8.2

Enjoy something a lot, like a show or tasty food

1 9.9

Avoid mixing your personal life with your work life because it causes problems

1 9.1

To speak angrily to someone and criticize them

to eat my lunch
  • Informal
1 9.0

To beat someone and gain an advantage over them in competition

1 6.6

To admit you were wrong and take back what you said

To finish a very large task by doing small easy steps

to eat his gun
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To say you want to kill yourself to show you feel very desperate, often offensive

8.6

To eat food to feel better when you are sad or stressed

9.9

To say as a joke that you will kill yourself because you feel very frustrated

to eat one's hat
  • Informal
9.1

To say you are very sure something will not happen and would do something silly if it did

8.6

To feel very jealous or sad because someone else has what you want

Use a company's own products to show they work and learn from them

Use saved resources now in a way that harms future success

to eat the mic
  • Informal
8.9

To speak or sing into a microphone with strong confidence and energy to make the audience pay attention

to eat the onion
  • Informal
9.6

To face a difficult or unpleasant problem without avoiding it

A floor so clean you could eat from it

A joking phrase that shows old ideas about how men should act

Phrasal Verbs

90 2.8

Completely swallow something like land or light

61 1.3

To have a meal at a restaurant instead of at home

To choose foods that keep your body healthy

to eat at
  • Informal
47 7.1

Gradually make someone feel worse or less confident

45 1.0

Finish all the food on your plate

43 4.1

Slowly damages metal, rock and someone's confidence by chemicals or steady pressure

35 4.9

So clean that you can eat from it without worrying about dirt or germs

to eat up
  • Informal
31 3.1

Use up money or time quickly

to eat away at
  • Informal
27 4.4

To damage something slowly over time, for example a building or a person's confidence

12 1.1

Have a meal at home instead of going to a restaurant

9 6.8

To make someone feel more and more upset or angry inside

To eat more food because you are pregnant and need to feed your baby too

To betray or harm members of the same group, often during internal fighting

to eat on
  • Informal
1 9.1

To worry someone for a long time

1 4.5

Slowly wears away rock and soil by wind or water

Compounds

bite to eat
  • Informal
36 1.8

A small quick meal or snack

7 2.8

Food prepared in advance that you can eat without cooking

1 2.7

A low-cost meal from a restaurant, cafe, or food stall

How Much

to gorge
19 5.9
to devour
92 3.9
to eat
∞ 1.0
to nibble
55 2.0

Surface Forms

eat infinitive
eating present participle
eats third person singular
ate past
eaten past participle

Etymology

Eat comes from an old English and old German word that meant 'take food'. It is like German essen, and that original idea of putting food in your mouth and swallowing is why eat means to have a meal today.