eat

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[edit] English

Most common English words: modern « medium « ill « #842: eat » et » scene » hot

[edit] Etymology

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 есть, and Lithuanian ésti.

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Verb

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)

  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?
  2. (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. (transitive) To destroy, consume, or use up
    This project is eating up all the money.
  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.
    I 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 - From the movie Midnight Run
  7. (ambitransitive) To corrode or erode.
    The acid rain ate away the statue.
    The strong acid eats through the metal.
  8. (transitive, informal, of an electronic 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.
  9. (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.
  10. (transitive, informal, vulgar) To perform oral sex on someone.
    Eat me!

[edit] Synonyms

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

[edit] Anagrams


[edit] Latin

[edit] Verb

eat

  1. third-person singular present active subjunctive of .

[edit] West Frisian

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Pronoun

eat

  1. something, anything

[edit] Antonyms