eateat /it/ ●●● verb (past tense ate /eɪt/ , past participle eaten /ˈit˺n/ ) 
1[intransitive, transitive] to put food in your mouth and swallow it: 
Paula ate a sandwich. Jimmy chatted happily as he ate. Do you and Kevin want something to eat? Tom sat at the table, eating breakfast/lunch/dinner. You need to exercise, eat right (=eat healthy food), and get plenty of rest. I haven’t had a bite to eat (=some food) all day!THESAURUSdevour formal also gobble up/wolf down informal: He devoured the rest of the cake. She wolfed down a hamburger.nibble (on) – to take small bites of something and eat only a little bit of it: Sarah nibbled on a cookie and sipped her coffee.pick at – to eat only a little bit of your food because you are not hungry: He only picked at his dinner.ingest formal – to eat or swallow something: The drug produces an unpleasant reaction if the patient then ingests alcohol.be dieting/be on a diet – to eat less than normal in order to become thinner: No cake for me, thanks – I’m on a diet.► see thesaurus at drink22[intransitive] to have a meal: What time do we eat? We can’t afford to eat at restaurants very often.3eat your words informal to admit that what you said was wrong4[transitive] also eat up spoken to use all of something until it is gone: That car of mine just eats up money. [Origin: Old English etan]eat away also eat away at phrasal verb to gradually remove, reduce, or destroy something: Rust had eaten away at the metal frame.eat into phrasal verb1to gradually reduce the amount of time, money, etc. that is available: Unexpected car expenses are really eating into our savings.2to damage or destroy something: Acid has eaten into the surface of the metal.eat out phrasal verb to eat in a restaurant: Do you eat out a lot?eat up phrasal verb spoken to eat all of something: Come on, Kaylee, eat up! I told her to eat up her breakfast.
1[intransitive, transitive] to put food in your mouth and swallow it: Paula ate a sandwich. Jimmy chatted happily as he ate. Do you and Kevin want something to eat? Tom sat at the table, eating breakfast/lunch/dinner. You need to exercise, eat right (=eat healthy food), and get plenty of rest. I haven’t had a bite to eat (=some food) all day!THESAURUSdevour formal also gobble up/wolf down informal: He devoured the rest of the cake. She wolfed down a hamburger.nibble (on) – to take small bites of something and eat only a little bit of it: Sarah nibbled on a cookie and sipped her coffee.pick at – to eat only a little bit of your food because you are not hungry: He only picked at his dinner.ingest formal – to eat or swallow something: The drug produces an unpleasant reaction if the patient then ingests alcohol.be dieting/be on a diet – to eat less than normal in order to become thinner: No cake for me, thanks – I’m on a diet.► see thesaurus at drink22[intransitive] to have a meal: What time do we eat? We can’t afford to eat at restaurants very often.3eat your words informal to admit that what you said was wrong4[transitive] also eat up spoken to use all of something until it is gone: That car of mine just eats up money. [Origin: Old English etan]eat away also eat away at phrasal verb to gradually remove, reduce, or destroy something: Rust had eaten away at the metal frame.eat into phrasal verb1to gradually reduce the amount of time, money, etc. that is available: Unexpected car expenses are really eating into our savings.2to damage or destroy something: Acid has eaten into the surface of the metal.eat out phrasal verb to eat in a restaurant: Do you eat out a lot?eat up phrasal verb spoken to eat all of something: Come on, Kaylee, eat up! I told her to eat up her breakfast.
