# eaten

/ˈitən/ (US) · /ˈiːtən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/eaten
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. past participle of eat

verb · CEFR A1

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

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

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

### 2. consumed

adjective · CEFR B2

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

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

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

## Examples

- I have already eaten my lunch.
- By the time the guests arrived, the children had already eaten all the snacks on the table.
- The crops were eaten by locusts during the drought, leaving the local farmers with almost nothing to harvest for the winter market.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.