From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgrazegraze1 /ɡreɪz/ ●○○ verb 1 [intransitive, transitive] if an animal grazes, or if you graze it, it eats grass that is growinggraze on Groups of cattle were grazing on the rich grass. fields where they used to graze their sheep2 [transitive]MICUT to accidentally break the surface of your skin by rubbing it against something I fell on the gravel, severely grazing my knee.3 [transitive]TOUCH to touch something lightly while passing it, sometimes damaging it A bullet grazed his arm.4 [intransitive] informalEAT to eat small amounts of food all through the day instead of having regular meals→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
graze• Here are some low-fat snacks for holiday grazing.• The sheep continued to graze.• I just barely grazed her bumper, but she's claiming I wrecked her car.• Lightly though, only grazing him.• Billy grazed his knee on the sidewalk when he fell.• From up there, the grazing Holsteins are only black and white specks which seem incapable of movement.• Fernando looked down on her adoringly before allowing his lips to graze languidly over her mouth and cheeks and throat.• Longhorn cattle grazed on mesquite, and dropped the seeds along the way on drives to the north.• It is a huge four-poster that grazes the 9-foot ceilings.• The bullet grazed the corner of the building, just missing my arm.• Capella is low in the north, with Leo grazing the horizon.• The incoming immune adults then graze the lower more fibrous echelons of the herbage which contain the majority of the L3.• Ranchers will have to pay more to graze their cattle on federal land.• And grazing too many animals on too little land leaves soil unprotected against wind or water erosion.grazegraze2 noun [countable] MICUTa wound caused by rubbing that slightly breaks the surface of your skin Adam walked away from the crash with just a graze on his left shoulder.► see thesaurus at injuryExamples from the Corpus
graze• He was back on Monday, with a graze on one cheek and perky as a parrot.• You may need to watch him at first, so that you can clean and dress any grazes or cuts immediately.• One of the children, five-year-old Stewart Weir, escaped with a bullet graze to the leg.• It was a deep graze, but nothing more.• Flux can be mildly irritating so avoid getting it into cuts or grazes.• Their cattle would not be allowed to drink from it, or graze by it.• There was a raw graze across one cheekbone.• The graze along his cheekbone somehow managed to emphasise the tough, assured air he wore so easily.Origin graze1 Old English grasian, from græs; → GRASS 