ENGLISH
REFERENCE

eaten

v. · adj.
US //ˈitən// UK //ˈiːtən// eat·en
  1. 1 past participle of eat (v.)
    A1 Beginner

    the form of 'eat' used with 'have' or 'has' to show that an action is finished.

    the past participle of 'eat', used to form the present perfect, past perfect, and passive voice.

    Example

    I have already eaten lunch, so I am not very hungry now.

    Example

    By the time the late guests arrived at the gala, the main course had already been eaten by those who were punctual.

    Usage

    Always requires an auxiliary verb like 'have', 'has', 'had', or 'be' when used as a verb.
    Pitfall
    I have ate my dinner already.
    I have eaten my dinner already.

    Use 'ate' for the simple past and 'eaten' after the helping verb 'have'.

  2. 2 consumed (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    describes something that has been used as food or destroyed by something.

    functioning as a participial adjective to describe something that has been consumed or eroded.

    Example

    The half-eaten apple was left on the table all afternoon.

    Example

    The wooden beams were badly moth-eaten, suggesting the structure had been neglected for several decades.

    Usage

    Often appears in compound adjectives like 'moth-eaten' or 'half-eaten'.
    • uneaten
Origin

From Middle English eten, from Old English eten, from Proto-West Germanic etan, from Proto-Germanic etanaz; morphologically eat + -en.

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

Last updated June 19, 2026