eatverb
American /it/ British /iːt/ Eat rhymes with meet. The past form ate is said like eight in American English; in British English many people say et, rhyming with bet. Eaten is EE-tun.
third-person singular eats past tense ate past participle eaten present participle eating
To eat is to take food in through the mouth; it also means having a meal and, informally, a worry that seems to eat at someone from inside.
foodput food in your mouth, chew it, and swallow it
transitive or intransitive [T/I] verb + object [V + obj]
- What did you eat for lunch? V + obj
- I don't eat meat. V + obj
- Eat your vegetables! V + obj
- The baby is starting to eat on her own.
Collocations
verb + noun eat meat, eat fruit, eat breakfastSynonyms feed
intransitive [I] verb + adverb or preposition [V + adv/prep]
worrykeep making someone feel worried, upset, or annoyed
Usually in a continuous tense, and very often in the question What's eating you?
transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj] informal
Synonyms bother
Phrases
Word family
- eater
Usage
Have is often used in place of eat with meals: have breakfast, have lunch. Soup eaten with a spoon is eaten; soup from a cup can be drunk.
Common mistakes
See also eat out; eat up