eat one's own
To turn on and attack members of one's own group or clique.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The political party started to eat its own during the election.”
“The social club will eat its own if members disagree on the new rules.”
“Competitive athletes sometimes eat their own when only one person can win the prize.”
“When the company faced financial trouble, the managers began to eat their own to protect their own positions.”
“After the project failed, the creative team began to eat their own by blaming the junior designers for every mistake.”
“Instead of supporting each other during the crisis, the small business owners started to eat their own to win more customers.”
“The activist group fell apart because the leaders chose to eat their own rather than focus on their shared goals.”
“In a desperate struggle for control, the revolutionary council turned inward to eat its own, destroying the very alliances that had brought them to power.”
Derived as a shortened form of *eat one's own kind*, a reference to the biological occurrence of cannibalism among certain living organisms. The construction implies the consumption of members of the same group or species.
- 01
abound in one's own sense
To follow one’s own inclinations and opinions.
- 02
ace up one's sleeve
A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.
- 03
act one's age
To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.
- 04
act one's age, not one's shoe size
Synonym of act one's age (“to behave in a mature manner; to avoid being childish”).
- 05
afraid of one's own shadow
Exceptionally timid.
- 06
air one's dirty laundry in public
To reveal one's sordid secrets to the public.
- 07
air one's dirty linen in public
Synonym of air one's dirty laundry in public.
- 08
albatross around one's neck
A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.
Last updated August 10, 2026