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Glite Dictionary
to eat dirt

to eat dirt

2 8.9
To admit you are wrong and accept feeling ashamed, often unwillingly
  • idiom
  • /it dɜrt/
  • Informal
translation icon : tragarse su orgullo
  • After he lost the debate, he had to eat dirt and accept that his opponent was right.
  • made to eat dirt

I got, I got mad people in my camp, man Jay, when we didn't make money, we would go eat dirt for that day.

Examples

  • I bet it feels good to work your whole life and then watch it all get sucked away from you, watch your colleagues eat dirt.

    Blog text (20)

  • Prepare to eat dirt.

    Dragonball Evolution (2009)

  • And then see him eat dirt!

    Parental Guidance (2012)

  • But soon the bill comes due, and we pay it, or we eat dirt.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • We Republicans should bow our heads in shame and eat dirt.

    Blog text (28)

  • Prepare to eat dirt!

    Air Bud: Golden Receiver (1998)

  • In the end, she had to eat dirt and admit that her idea wasn't feasible.

  • When the team's strategy failed, the coach told them they would have to eat dirt and learn from their mistakes.

Synonyms

to concede
vsto eat dirt
49 4.9

To accept that you have lost a contest or election

is about accepting humiliation or defeat often unwillingly rather than formal acknowledgement
to swallow pride
vsto eat dirt
  • Informal
9 5.7

To accept being wrong to make peace or get help

is often an unwilling acceptance of humiliation after being proved wrong
to eat crow
vsto eat dirt
  • Informal
4 8.9

To admit you were wrong and feel embarrassed

is used for accepting humiliation with less public shaming
to say uncle
vsto eat dirt
  • Informal
2 8.9

To give up because of pressure or pain

is about accepting humiliation after being proved wrong rather than surrender under force
to eat humble pie
vsto eat dirt
  • Informal
1 7.9

To admit you are wrong and feel embarrassed

is broader and used for unwilling acceptance of humiliation or defeat
to swallow the leek
vsto eat dirt
  • Archaic
9.9

To accept something unpleasant during talks to avoid bigger problems

is about admitting humiliation often after being proved wrong rather than tactical compromise
to eat one's words
vsto eat dirt
  • Informal
6.6

To admit you were wrong and take back what you said

is about accepting humiliation or defeat rather than merely retracting words
to chuck up the sponge
vsto eat dirt
  • UK
9.9

To stop trying because it seems pointless

is about accepting humiliation after being proved wrong rather than quitting

Antonyms

to win
∞ 1.0

To beat others in a contest or game

How Humiliated

to grovel
42 7.4
to eat dirt
  • Informal
2 8.9
to eat crow
  • Informal
4 8.9
to concede
49 4.9

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

eat + dirt

The sense 'to accept humiliation or admit defeat' cannot be straightforwardly derived from the literal meanings of 'eat' (consume) and 'dirt' (soil); the image does not transparently map onto the idiomatic sense. Although some languages use comparable humiliation metaphors, this is an English idiom whose meaning is metaphorical and unpredictable for a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The idiom eat dirt may come from the cruel image of a person forced to eat real dirt after losing a fight or being punished. Tasting dirt feels shameful, so the phrase now means 'to accept humiliation or admit defeat'.