definition of the word eat

by the Wiktionnary

Rank of this word in the English language, from analyzing texts from Project Gutenberg.
modern	medium	ill	#842: eat	et	scene	hot

Old English etan, from Proto-Germanic *itan-, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed-. Cognate with Scots aet, Dutch eten, German essen, and Swedish äta, and (from IE) with Ancient Greek ἔδω (edō), Latin edō, Russian ем, and Lithuanian ésti.

Infinitive
to eat

Third person singular
eats

Simple past
ate

Past participle
eaten

Present participle
eating

to eat (third-person singular simple present eats, present participle eating, simple past ate, past participle eaten)

(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?
(intransitive) To consume a meal.

What time do we eat this evening?
(intransitive, ergative) To be eaten.

The soup that eats like a meal.
(transitive) To destroy, consume, or use up

This project is eating up all the money.
(transitive, informal) To cause (someone) to worry.

What’s eating you?
(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.
(ambitransitive) To corrode or erode.

The acid rain ate away the statue.

The strong acid eats through the metal.

(consume): consume, swallow
(cause to worry): bother, disturb, worry
(eat a meal): dine, breakfast, chow down, have one's breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper/tea, lunch

Terms derived from the verb "eat"

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