What does "eat" mean?

1. (to ingest food) to put food into your mouth and swallow it. 2. (to use up resources) to use a lot of something, like time, money, or energy. 3. (to worry someone) to make someone feel very worried or upset over a long time. 4. (to damage or corrode) to slowly destroy the surface of something, like acid on metal. 5. (to accept a loss) to accept the cost of a mistake or a bad deal without complaining. 6. (to do something perfectly) to do something very well or look very good. 7. (food or a meal) food or a place to get food.

eat — meaning, definition & examples

Word

Infinitive

eat

Past

ate

Past participle

eaten

01to ingest food

A1 · Beginner

v. to put food into your mouth and swallow it.

v. to take food into the body through the mouth and swallow it. Ambitransitive — can be used with or without a direct object.

“We usually eat dinner together at the kitchen table around seven o'clock.”

“The guests began to eat as soon as the host finished the opening toast, enjoying the variety of local dishes provided.”

Synonyms

consume dine feed

Antonyms

fast starve

02to use up resources

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to use a lot of something, like time, money, or energy.

v. to consume or exhaust resources, often used with the particle 'up'.

“Commuting to the city every day eats up a lot of my free time.”

“The unexpected legal fees began to eat into the company's annual profit margins, forcing a revision of the quarterly budget.”

Synonyms

consume drain deplete

Antonyms

save conserve

03to worry someone

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to make someone feel very worried or upset over a long time.

v. to cause persistent distress or anxiety to someone. Often used in the progressive form with 'at'.

“I could tell that something was eating him, but he wouldn't talk about it.”

“The guilt of the unspoken secret continued to eat at her, preventing her from fully enjoying the success of the project.”

Synonyms

trouble bothergnaw

Antonyms

soothe comfort

04to damage or corrode

B2 · Upper Intermediate Science

v. to slowly destroy the surface of something, like acid on metal.

v. to erode or corrode a surface through chemical or physical action.

“The salty sea air will eventually eat away the paint on the car.”

“Over several decades, the acidic groundwater began to eat into the limestone foundations of the historic cathedral.”

Synonyms

corrodeerodewear away

05to accept a loss

C1 · Advanced Business Informal

v. to accept the cost of a mistake or a bad deal without complaining.

v. to absorb a financial loss or cost as part of a business transaction.

“The restaurant had to eat the cost of the meal because the order was wrong.”

“Rather than passing the increased shipping rates on to the customers, the retailer decided to eat the difference to remain competitive.”

Usage

The verb takes a direct object, usually 'the cost' or 'the loss'.

Synonyms

absorb shoulder

06to do something perfectly

C1 · Advanced Slang

v. to do something very well or look very good.

v. to perform exceptionally well or to exhibit a highly impressive appearance.

“Did you see her outfit for the party? She really ate.”

“The lead singer absolutely ate during that final high note, leaving the entire audience in stunned silence.”

Teaching tip

This is a very modern slang term popular on social media; it is best avoided in professional or academic contexts.

Synonyms

slay excel rule

Antonyms

fail

07food or a meal

B1 · Intermediate Plural noun Informal

n. food or a place to get food.

n. food items or a meal; often used in the plural 'eats' to refer to snacks or light food.

“We should go find some cheap eats after the movie ends.”

“The festival guide listed all the best local eats, ranging from street food stalls to high-end bistros.”

Synonyms

food snacks grub

“A competitive eater cycled 11 hours before eating a 4.5kg (9lb 9oz) cottage pie to raise money for charity.”

bbc.com 1 Mar 2026

“In practical terms, the surest way to eat better is cooking most of your food at home or, failing that, talking some other nice person into doing it for you.”

The Guardian 31 Dec 2018

“Food manufacturers keep pushing us to eat more.”

The Guardian 25 Apr 2016

“You just decide what you want to eat, when and how much.”

The Guardian 20 May 2024

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 ayth, eight (“to eat”), North Frisian iidj, iit, ää'e, ääre, 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”).

From Middle English ete, ate, æte, from Old English ǣt (“food, eating”), from Proto-West Germanic āt, from Proto-Germanic ētą (“food, thing to eat”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“to eat”). Cognate with West Frisian iten (“food”), Saterland Frisian Íeten (“food”), German Aas (“carrion”), Vilamovian aosa (“food”), Icelandic át (“eating; solid food”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

eat(A1)

NOUN

eater(A2)

eating(A1)

breathe drink edible food fret mouthful taste