Eat

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /iːt/
• US IPA: /it/
• Rhymes: -iːt

Origin

From Middle English eten, from Old English etan ("to eat"), from Proto-Germanic *etaną ("to eat"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- ("to eat"). Cognate with Scots aet ("to eat"), West Frisian ite, Low German eten ("to eat"), Dutch eten ("to eat"), German essen ("to eat"), Swedish äta ("to eat"), Danish æde ("to eat"), and more distantly with Latin edō ("eat", verb.), Ancient Greek ἔδω, Russian есть (jest', "to eat"), and Lithuanian ėsti.

Full definition of eat

Verb

1. To ingest; to be ingested.
1. (ambitransitive) To consume (something solid or semi-solid, usually food) by putting it into the mouth and swallowing it.
   He’s eating an apple.
   Don’t disturb me now; can't you see that I’m eating?
• 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate Chapter 2, At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs.
2. (eat a meal)(intransitive) To consume a meal.
   What time do we eat this evening?
3. (intransitive, ergative) To be eaten.
   The soup that eats like a meal.
4. To use up.
1. (transitive) To destroy, consume, or use up.
   This project is eating up all the money.
• William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863)His wretched estate is eaten up with mortgages.
2. (transitive, informal, of a device) To damage, destroy, or fail to eject a removable part or an inserted object.
   The VHS recorder just ate the tape and won't spit it out.
   John is late for the meeting because the photocopier ate his report.
• Bruce Willis in the movie The Last Boy ScoutNo! There's a problem with the cassette player. Don't press fast forward or it eats the tape!
3. (transitive, informal, of a vending machine or similar device) To consume money or (other instruments of value, such as a token) deposited or inserted by a user, while failing to either provide the intended product or service, or return the payment.
   The video game in the corner just ate my quarter.
• From the movie Slap ShotHey! This stupid vending machine ate my quarter.
5. (transitive, informal) To cause (someone) to worry.
   What’s eating you?
6. (transitive, business) To take the loss in a transaction.
   It’s a special order, so we can’t send it back; if the customer won’t accept it, we’ll have to eat the forty tons of steel ourselves.
• From the movie Midnight RunI have to have him in court tomorrow, if he doesn't show up, I forfeit the bond and I have to eat the $300,000.
7. (ambitransitive) To corrode or erode.
   The acid rain ate away the statue.
   The strong acid eats through the metal.
8. (transitive, informal, vulgar) To perform oral sex on someone.
   Eat me!

Synonyms

• (consume) consume, swallow; see also
• (cause to worry) bother, disturb, worry
• (eat a meal) dine, breakfast, chow down, feed one's face, have one's breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper/tea, lunch

Derived terms

Anagrams

• a.e.t., ate, ETA, eta, TEA, tea