Eat | Mean of eat in English Dictionary

/ˈiːt/

• Verb
• to take food into your mouth and swallow it
1. You'll feel better if you eat something.
2. I ate a big breakfast so I'm not very hungry.
3. Let's grab a bite to eat. = Let's get something to eat.
4. I've been trying to watch what I eat. [=to be more careful about eating healthy foods and not eating too much]
5. I'm hungry. Let's eat.
6. They like to eat at home.
7. It's important to eat right. [=to eat healthy foods]
8. We like to eat out on Fridays.
9. Let's eat in tonight.
• to gradually destroy, use, or take away something
1. The rocks were eaten away by erosion.
2. Marketing costs ate into their profits.
3. The acids were eating away at the metal finish.
4. The failure of his business has eaten away at his confidence.
• to bother or annoy (someone)
1. What's eating you?

• to be completely controlled by someone
1. He had them eating out of his hand. [=he controlled them completely]
• to admit that you were wrong or accept that you have been defeated
1. He was forced to eat crow when the company fired him.
2. They had to eat humble pie when the rumors they were spreading were proved false.
• to bite (someone or something) many times
1. The mosquitoes were eating us alive. [=we were being bitten frequently by many mosquitoes]
• to badly defeat or harm someone or something
1. Their competitors are going to eat them alive if they don't cut their prices.
2. If this story gets out, the press will eat him alive.
• to eat all of (something)
1. Eat your dinner up before it gets cold.
• to use up (time, resources, etc.)
1. This project has been eating up a large part of the budget.
2. Your savings may be eaten up by inflation.
• to enjoy (something) greatly
1. I thought the speech was stupid, but the audience ate it up.
• to be jealous
1. “Eat your heart out,” he jokingly told his friend before getting on his new boat.
• to take back what you have said
1. She said she would eat her words if the wedding wasn't called off.
2. They promised success, but if things don't get better soon, they may have to eat their words.