v., ate (āt), eat·en (ēt'n), eat·ing, eats.

v.tr.

1. 1. To take into the body by the mouth for digestion or absorption.
   2. To take in and absorb as food: a plant that eats insects; a cell that eats bacteria.
   3. To include habitually or by preference in one's diet: a bird that eats insects, fruit, and seeds; stopped eating red meat on advice from her doctor.
2. To destroy, ravage, or use up by or as if by ingesting: “Covering news in the field eats money” (George F. Will).
3. To erode or corrode: waves that ate away the beach; an acid that eats the surface of a machine part.
4. To produce by or as if by eating: Moths ate holes in our sweaters.
5. Slang. To absorb the cost or expense of: “You can eat your loss and switch the remaining money to other investment portfolios” (Marlys Harris).
6. Informal. To bother or annoy: What's eating him?
7. Vulgar Slang. To perform cunnilingus on. Often used with out.

v.intr.

1. 1. To consume food.
   2. To have or take a meal.
2. To exercise a consuming or eroding effect: a drill that ate away at the rock; exorbitant expenses that were eating into profits.
3. To cause persistent annoyance or distress: “How long will it be before the frustration eats at you?” (Howard Kaplan).

phrasal verb:

eat up Slang.

1. To receive or enjoy enthusiastically or avidly: She really eats up the publicity.
2. To believe without question: He'll eat up whatever the broker tells him.

idioms:

eat crow

1. To be forced to accept a humiliating defeat.

eat (one's) heart out

1. To feel bitter anguish or grief.
2. To be consumed by jealousy.

eat (one's) words

1. To retract something that one has said.

eat out of (someone's) hand

1. To be manipulated or dominated by another.

eat (someone) alive Slang.

1. To overwhelm or defeat thoroughly: an inexperienced manager who was eaten alive in a competitive corporate environment.

[Middle English eten, from Old English etan.]

eater eat'er n.

SYNONYMS  eat, consume, devour, ingest. These verbs mean to take food into the body by the mouth: ate a hearty dinner; greedily consumed the sandwich; hyenas devouring their prey; whales ingesting krill.

also eat up

verb

1. To take (food) into the body as nourishment: consume, devour, fare, ingest, partake. Slang chow. Idioms: break bread, havetakea bite. See ingestion.
2. To do away with completely and destructively. consume, devour, swallow (up), waste. See help/harm/harmless.
3. To consume gradually, as by chemical reaction or friction: bite, corrode, erode, gnaw, wear, wear away. See attack/defend.

phrasal verb - eat up

1. To eat completely or entirely: consume, devour, dispatch. Informal polish off, put away. See ingestion.
2. To use all of: consume, drain, draw down, exhaust, expend, finish, play out, run through, spend, use up. Informal polish off. See increase/decrease.
3. To be avidly interested in: devour, feast on, relish. See concern/unconcern.
4. To like or enjoy enthusiastically, often excessively: adore, delight (in), dote on (or upon), love. Slang groove on. See like/dislike, love/hatred.

Idioms beginning with eat:
eat and run
eat away at
eat in
eat like a bird
eat one's hat
eat one's heart out
eat one's words
eat someone up
eat out of someone's hand
eat shit
eat someone out of house and home
eat someone's ass out

See also dog eat dog; proof of the pudding is in the eating; what's eating you.

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v

Definition: consume
Antonyms: abstain, diet, fast

v

Definition: erode, wear away; use up
Antonyms: build, maintain, preserve

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A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

v.i.

To perform successively (and successfully) the functions of mastication, humectation, and deglutition.

"I was in the drawing-room, enjoying my dinner," said Brillat- Savarin, beginning an anecdote. "What!" interrupted Rochebriant; "eating dinner in a drawing-room?" "I must beg you to observe, monsieur," explained the great gastronome, "that I did not say I was eating my dinner, but enjoying it. I had dined an hour before."

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IN BRIEF: To take in food.

One should eat to live, not live to eat. — Benjamin Franklin, (1706-1790), American entrepreneur, statesman, scientist and philosopher.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - sluge, fortære, plage, irritere
v. intr. - spise, ødelægge, tære på
n. - snack, mellemmad

idioms:

• be eaten alive    blive ædt levende
• eat away    æde op, fortære, ødelægge gradvist
• eat away at    æde op, fortære, ødelægge gradvist
• eat dirt    lade sig træde på
• eat into    æde i sig, ætse, gøre indhug i
• eat one's fill    spise alt hvad man orker
• eat one's heart out    ærgre sig til døde
• eat one's way through something    gnave sig igennem
• eat one's words    tage sine ord i sig
• eat out of someone's hand    spise af éns hånd
• eat someone out of house and home    æde en ud af hus og hjem
• eat up    sluge, opsluge, æde bort
• eating apple    spiseæble

abbr. - Tanzanias nummerpladebetegnelse

Nederlands (Dutch)
eten, bijten (materiaal), (mv) voedsel

Français (French)
v. tr. - manger
v. intr. - manger
n. - (GB) bouffe, snacks, (un) morceau, nourriture

idioms:

• be eaten alive    être mangé vivant, être mangé cru, être dévoré (par qn, par les moustiques)
• eat away    saper, éroder, ronger
• eat away at    endommager à, corroder à
• eat dirt    ronger la poussière
• eat into    entamer, écorner, ronger, manger (par des mites)
• eat one's fill    manger à sa faim
• eat one's heart out    se ronger d'inquiétude
• eat one's way through something    engloutir qch
• eat one's words    se rétracter, avaler ses mots
• eat out of someone's hand    faire les quatre volontés de qn
• eat someone out of house and home    (fig) manger la laine sur le dos de qn
• eat someone up    (fig) manger (qn)
• eat something up    finir (de manger qch), (fig) être dévoré/rongé de, consommer qch, absorber qch, engloutir qch
• eat up    mangez (excl)
• eating apple    pomme à couteau/de dessert

abbr. - (abrév = international vehicle registration), plaque d'immatriculation internationale (en Tanzanie)

Deutsch (German)
v. - essen, fressen
n. - Essen, Snack

idioms:

• be eaten alive    lebendig gefressen werden
• eat away    zerfressen
• eat away at    zerfressen
• eat dirt    passiv hinnehmen, ein peinliches Geständnis machen
• eat into    anfressen
• eat one's fill    sich sättigen
• eat one's heart out    vor Sehnsucht (Eifersucht) vergehen
• eat one's way through something    sich durchfuttern
• eat one's words    seine Worte zurücknehmen
• eat out of someone's hand    jmdm. aus der Hand fressen
• eat someone out of house and home    jmdn. arm fressen
• eat someone up    [von etw.] besessen sein
• eat something up    aufessen, auffressen, verbrauchen, vordringen
• eat up    aufessen
• eating apple    Eßapfel

abbr. - Tansania (Internationales Fahrzeugregister)

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - τρώγω, τρέφομαι (με), (μτφ.) φθείρω (βαθμιαία), ροκανίζω, κατατρώγω, διαβρώνω, υπονομεύω

idioms:

• be eaten alive    με τρώνε ζωντανό
• eat away    κατατρώγω, φθείρω, διαβρώνω, προσβάλλω
• eat away at    φθείρω, διαβρώνω
• eat dirt    (καθομ.) ταπεινώνομαι
• eat into    ροκανίζω, κατατρώγω
• eat one's fill    τρώγω μέχρι σκασμού, σκάω στο φαϊ
• eat one's heart out    (καθομ.) με τρώει η ζήλια, σκάω από ζήλια
• eat one's way through something    καταβροχθίζω
• eat one's words    (καθομ.) ανακαλώ, παίρνω πίσω τα λόγια μου
• eat out of someone's hand    εμπιστεύομαι ή υπακούω τυφλά σε κάποιον, έχω κάποιον για θεό μου
• eat someone out of house and home    έχω τον αχόρταστο, δεν προφταίνουν να με ταϊζουν
• eat up    ευωχούμαι, αποτρώγω, τελειώνω το γεύμα μου
• eating apple    επιτραπέζιο μήλο

Italiano (Italian)
mangiare, pasto

idioms:

• be eaten alive    essere mangiato vivo
• eat away    corrodere
• eat away at    rodere
• eat dirt    ingoiare il rospo
• eat into    rodere
• eat one's fill    sfamarsi
• eat one's heart out    mangiarsi il fegato
• eat one's words    rimangiarsi la parola
• eat out of someone's hand    aver cieca fiducia in qualcuno
• eat someone out of house and home    rovinare qualcuno
• eat up    mangiare
• eating apple    mela commestibile

Português (Portuguese)
v. - comer, consumir

idioms:

• be eaten alive    ser comido vivo
• eat away    devorar
• eat away at    destruir gradualmente
• eat dirt    aceitar humilhações
• eat into    corroer, prejudicar
• eat one's fill    estar satisfeito após comer
• eat one's heart out    sofrer em silêncio
• eat one's way through something    devorar alguma coisa
• eat one's words    retratar-se
• eat out of someone's hand    ser subserviente
• eat someone out of house and home    levar à ruína
• eat up    comer tudo
• eating apple    comer maçã fresca

Русский (Russian)
есть, кушать, поедать, питаться, еда, харчи

idioms:

• be eaten alive    быть съеденным заживо
• eat away    разъедать
• eat away at    разъедать
• eat dirt    унижаться
• eat into    растрачивать
• eat one's fill    наедаться досыта
• eat one's heart out    тосковать, исстрадаться
• eat one's way through something    пожрать все
• eat one's words    взять свои слова назад
• eat out of someone's hand    беспрекословно подчиняться
• eat someone out of house and home    объедать
• eat up    доедать
• eating apple    съедобное яблоко

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - comer, consumirse gradualmente
v. intr. - comer
n. - comida

idioms:

• be eaten alive    se lo comieron vivo, criticar a alguien descomedidamente
• eat away    corroer, carcomer
• eat away at    corroer, carcomer, desgastar
• eat dirt    humillarse, someterse a críticas severas o insultos
• eat into    corroer, carcomer, hacer estragos en
• eat one's fill    satisfacer el hambre, saciarse, hartarse, comer bien
• eat one's heart out    consumirse de pena
• eat one's way through something    acabar con o comerse todo
• eat one's words    tragarse las palabras
• eat out of someone's hand    someterse a la autoridad de alguien
• eat someone out of house and home    dejar a alguien sin un céntimo
• eat someone up    comerse vivo a alguien, comerse, devorar
• eat something up    comerse, devorar
• eat up    comerse, devorar
• eating apple    manzana para comer cruda

abbr. - Africa Tanganica del Este

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - äta, förtära

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
电子控制自动传输, 编码器地址转换器

吃, 腐蚀, 喝, 蛀, 进食, 用膳, 侵蚀, 吃的东西, 食物

idioms:

• be eaten alive    被活生生的吃了
• eat away    侵蚀, 尽情地吃, 继续吃
• eat away at    继续吃下去, 蚕食掉, 侵蚀掉
• eat dirt    含垢忍辱
• eat into    侵蚀, 逐渐耗尽
• eat one's fill    吃饱
• eat one's heart out    忧伤过度
• eat one's way through something    通过...腐蚀
• eat one's words    收回前言, 承认错误
• eat out of someone's hand    完全受某人控制
• eat someone out of house and home    把某人吃穷
• eat up    吃光, 耗尽, 吞灭, 完全相信
• eating apple    生吃苹果

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
abbr. - 電子控制自動傳輸, 編碼器位址轉換器

v. tr. - 吃, 腐蝕, 喝, 蛀
v. intr. - 進食, 腐蝕, 用膳, 侵蝕
n. - 吃的東西, 食物

idioms:

• be eaten alive    被活生生的吃了
• eat away    侵蝕, 盡情地吃, 繼續吃
• eat away at    繼續吃下去, 蠶食掉, 侵蝕掉
• eat dirt    含垢忍辱
• eat into    侵蝕, 逐漸耗盡
• eat one's fill    吃飽
• eat one's heart out    憂傷過度
• eat one's way through something    通過...腐蝕
• eat one's words    收回前言, 承認錯誤
• eat out of someone's hand    完全受某人控制
• eat someone out of house and home    把某人吃窮
• eat up    吃光, 耗盡, 吞滅, 完全相信
• eating apple    生吃蘋果

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 먹다, 소모 시키다
v. intr. - 음식을 먹다
n. - 음식물

idioms:

• be eaten alive    경험 등이 없어 여러 사람들을 다루기가 너무 힘들다
• eat away    파먹다, 부식하다
• eat away at    서서히 먹어 들어가다
• eat into    먹어 들어가다, 부식하다, 소모하다

abbr. - Tanzania (동아프리카의 탄자니아)

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - する, 食事をする, 腐食する, 浸食する, 不機嫌にする, 食べられる, 味がする, 食べる, 食い荒らす

idioms:

• eat away    どんどん食べる
• eat away at    侵食する
• eat dirt    屈辱を甘受する, あやまる
• eat humble pie    平謝りに謝る
• eat into    次第に腐食する, 食い込む
• eat one's fill    腹一杯食べる
• eat one's heart out    悲嘆に暮れる, 人知れず悩む
• eat one's way through something    何かに没頭する
• eat one's words    前言を取り消す
• eat out of someone's hand    いいなりになる
• eat someone out of house and home    食いつぶす
• eat up    食べ尽くす, 消費する, 心を奪われている

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يأكل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮אכל, טרף‬
v. intr. - ‮איכל, שיתך, הרס בהדרגה‬
n. - ‮אוכל, מזון‬
abbr. - ‮טנזניה (סמלי רישום בינלאומיים למכוניות)‬

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never eat alone	how to eat fried worms
shut up and eat