eat
I try to eat a balanced breakfast every morning.
Forms
eats v. (3rd-person sing.)
She eats cereal for breakfast.
ate v. (past)
He ate the sandwich before the meeting.
eaten v. (past participle)
By the time I arrived, the cake had been eaten.
eating v. (gerund/present participle)
Eating slowly helps digestion.
eater n.
Carol is a picky eater.
edible adj.
Only the inner leaves are edible.
Phrasal verbs
eat out
To dine at a restaurant or away from home.
We decided to eat out at the new Italian place downtown.
eat in
To have a meal at home rather than going out.
On Fridays we usually eat in and watch a movie.
eat up
To consume completely (food) or to finish something quickly.
The kids ate up their dinner in five minutes.
eat away at
To gradually destroy, erode, or cause ongoing worry or distress.
Guilt began to eat away at him after the argument.
eat into
To reduce or use up (time, money, resources).
The unexpected repairs ate into my savings.
eat one's words
To admit that something you said earlier was wrong.
After the experiment failed, the scientist had to eat his words.
eat someone alive
To overwhelm, distress, or harshly criticize someone; to cause intense anxiety.
The constant criticism from his boss was starting to eat him alive.