eat
/iːt/ (bre, ipa) · /iːt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈēt/ (ame, mw)
eat — verb
- eatpresent simple I / you / we / they
- eatshe / she / it
- ate,past simple
- atepast simple
- eatenpast participle
- eating-ing form
1. to put food into your mouth, chew it with your teeth, and then swallow it so tha
to put food into your mouth, chew it with your teeth, and then swallow it so that your body can use it for energy and growth.
Megan ate a big bowl of noodles for lunch at the new cafe.
eat + specific meal/food as object
After his morning run, Hao always eats an apple and a banana.
habitual present simple with eat
The children ate all the cookies while their mother was in the garden.
The doctor told my grandmother to eat more green vegetables every day.
Talia asked what her guests wanted to eat for breakfast at the hotel.
- fast
to eat nothing, usually for religious or health reasons
文法句型
eat + object (food/meal)
eat (without object) — 'Have you eaten?'
用法筆記
Irregular verb: eat → ate (past tense) → eaten (past participle). Common meal collocations: eat breakfast / lunch / dinner. Common adverb collocations: eat well / badly / healthily / too much.
常見錯誤
2. to accept responsibility for a cost, loss, or expense yourself, rather than aski
to accept responsibility for a cost, loss, or expense yourself, rather than asking a customer or partner to pay it.
The company had to eat the entire loss after the client canceled the order.
eat + financial loss
Small shops often eat the cost of returning faulty goods to keep customers happy.
eat the cost of [something]
The airline agreed to eat the cost of hotel rooms for the stranded passengers.
The builder ate the loss and fixed the roof instead of going to court.
文法句型
eat + cost/loss/expense
用法筆記
Often used in business contexts about absorbing expenses. The object is typically an unpleasant financial item (cost, loss, expense).
3. to gradually destroy, weaken, or use up something by a continuous chemical or ph
to gradually destroy, weaken, or use up something by a continuous chemical or physical process — for example, rust eating away metal, or costs eating into your savings.
The sea air slowly ate away the metal lock on the old gate.
eat away = gradual destruction by environment
The cost of repairs ate up most of the family's savings for the year.
eat up = consume entirely (financial)
Years of neglect had eaten away at the wooden floorboards in the kitchen.
The rising price of fuel ate into every delivery driver's weekly income.
文法句型
eat + object + away
eat away at + object
eat into + object
用法筆記
Frequently used with phrasal particles: 'away', 'away at', 'up', 'into'. 'Eat away at' emphasizes the gradual, continuous nature of the destruction.
常見錯誤
4. to trouble or annoy someone in a persistent, nagging way, so that they cannot st
to trouble or annoy someone in a persistent, nagging way, so that they cannot stop thinking about the problem.
Christopher has been silent all morning — I wonder what is eating him today.
what is eating [person]? = what is bothering them?
Guilt ate at Padma for years after she refused to help her brother.
eat at [person] = nagging, persistent worry
Resentment ate at Dario for months after his manager took credit for his work.
The thought of the final exam ate at Mert until he could not fall asleep.
文法句型
eat + person (as object)
eat at + person
用法筆記
The fixed question 'What's eating you / him / her?' is a common informal way to ask why someone seems upset or annoyed. Avoid this phrase in formal writing or speech. The phrasal form 'eat at + person' works for ongoing emotional distress ('Jealousy ate at him for years').
常見錯誤
eat — noun
1. things that you can eat; food — used especially in an informal way when talking
things that you can eat; food — used especially in an informal way when talking about snacks or simple meals.
We packed some eats and drinks for the picnic at the seaside park.
eats (plural) = snacks/food for an outing
The night market is full of delicious eats from all across Asia.
The store sells ready-made eats for people who do not have time to cook.
There are plenty of vegan eats at the food trucks by the university campus.
用法筆記
Most commonly used in the plural form 'eats'. Found in informal contexts such as conversations about parties, picnics, markets, and street food.