eats

IPA/iːts/

KK[ˈits]IPA/iːts/

1.nounB1

Definition

Food, especially a small amount, or a light meal — used in casual conversation or slang.

Example

After the hike, Mei-Ling said she was starving and asked where they could grab some eats.

collocation: grab some eats

The food truck at the corner sells great late-night eats for under five dollars.

informal register for 'food'

Common collocations

grab some eats
get some eats
have some eats
late-night eats
street eats

Synonyms

food
neutral and broad; works in any register
snacks
small items eaten between meals, not a full meal
grub
slang, even more informal than 'eats'

Grammar Patterns

usually in 'have some eats' or 'get some eats'

Usage Note

Almost always used in informal speech. Does NOT appear in formal writing. The phrase 'have some eats' is widespread in casual American English.

Common Mistakes

Please bring eats to the conference dinner.

Please bring food to the conference dinner.

'eats' is too casual for formal invitations or written notices.

eatspresent simple I / you / we / they
eatses3rd person singular
eatsing-ing form
eatsedpast simple

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1

Definition

To put food into your mouth, chew it, and swallow it; to have a meal.

Example

Elena eats a bowl of oatmeal with berries every morning before work.

transitive: eat + [food item]

The children ate so quickly that their mother told them to slow down.

intransitive (no object)

Common collocations

eat breakfast/lunch/dinner
eat out
eat up
eat well
eat like a bird/horse

Synonyms

have
common in British English for meals ('have lunch', 'have breakfast')
consume
more formal and clinical
feed
used for animals or babies, rarely for adult humans

Antonyms

starve
to suffer from lack of food
fast
to deliberately go without food

Grammar Patterns

eat + [food]

eat (no object)

eat + adverb/preposition

Usage Note

The most basic and common sense of 'eat'. It can be used with or without a direct object. When a specific food is named, 'eat' is transitive; when the focus is on the activity of having a meal, it is intransitive.

Common Mistakes

I ate dinner at 7 PM and then I ate the dinner.

I ate dinner at 7 PM.

'have dinner' is more common for meals; 'eat dinner' is fine but 'eat the dinner' sounds odd unless referring to a specific dish.

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2

Definition

To damage or destroy something gradually by chemical action, wear, or persistent pressure.

Example

The salty sea air had eaten the paint off the old fishing boat over the years.

transitive: chemical action on a surface

Rust was eating away at the metal beams underneath the bridge.

phrasal: eat away at [sth]

Common collocations

eat away at
eat into
eat through
eaten by rust
eaten by acid

Synonyms

corrode
more formal; specifies chemical erosion
erode
gradual wearing away by wind, water, or acid
wear away
focuses on gradual loss of material

Antonyms

preserve
to keep something in its original state
protect
to shield from damage

Grammar Patterns

eat + [object: metal, surface]

eat away at + [object]

Usage Note

Often used in the phrasal form 'eat away at' or 'eat into'. The subject is typically a corrosive substance (acid, rust, salt water). Can also be used figuratively for guilt or worry (see also sense 4).

Common Mistakes

The acid eat the metal.

The acid ate the metal.

'eat' in this sense is irregular (eat/ate/eaten), same as the food sense.

3.verbtransitiveC1

Definition

To accept and pay for a cost, expense, or financial loss, especially an unexpected one that cuts into profits.

Example

The shipping company had to eat the cost of the damaged packages because the insurance did not cover the claim.

eat + the cost of [something]

The small factory was forced to eat the loss when the client cancelled the order at the last minute.

eat + the loss — business register

Common collocations

eat the cost
eat the loss
eat the expense
eat the difference

Synonyms

absorb
neutral business term for bearing a cost without passing it on
foot the bill for
means to pay for something, not necessarily at a loss
swallow
similar informal metaphor for accepting a loss

Antonyms

pass on
to transfer the cost to customers
recover
to get back the money spent

Grammar Patterns

eat + [cost/expense/loss]

Usage Note

Restricted to informal business contexts, primarily American English. The direct object must be an expense, cost, loss, or fee — not a person or physical object.

Common Mistakes

We ate the client's anger.

We ate the cost of the mistake.

Only financial burdens, not emotional ones, can be 'eaten' in this sense.

4.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

To bother, worry, or irritate someone — used especially in the question 'What's eating you?' to ask why someone seems upset.

Example

You have been quiet all morning — what's eating you, Diego?

idiomatic question: What's eating [person]?

Something has been eating at Fatima all week, but she refuses to talk about it.

progressive: eating at [person]

Common collocations

what's eating you?
eat at someone
eaten up by guilt/worry

Synonyms

bother
neutral, less idiomatic
trouble
slightly more formal
gnaw at
similar metaphor, especially for persistent worry

Antonyms

comfort
to relieve worry or distress
reassure
to restore confidence

Grammar Patterns

What's eating + [person]?

Usage Note

Almost exclusively appears in the continuous aspect ('is eating', 'has been eating') or the fixed question phrase 'what's eating you/him/her/them?'. The prepositional variant 'eat at' is also common.

Common Mistakes

I am eating you.' (intended as 'I am bothering you')

What is eating you?

The sense is idiomatic; it is almost never used in a declarative statement with a first-person subject.

5.verbtransitiveB2

Definition

To enjoy or absorb something — such as a book, performance, or experience — with great enthusiasm, as if devouring it.

Example

Nia ate up every word the famous novelist said during the lecture.

phrasal: eat up [sth] for enthusiastic enjoyment

The children ate up the magician's trick and begged him to do another one.

Common collocations

eat up
eat up the attention
eat up every word
eat up the praise

Synonyms

devour
same metaphor, works for both books and food
lap up
similar enthusiasm, especially for praise or attention
relish
to enjoy greatly, slightly more formal

Antonyms

ignore
to pay no attention to
dismiss
to reject or refuse to consider

Grammar Patterns

eat + [art/book/experience] up

Usage Note

Often used with the particle 'up' ('eat up'). The object must be something non-physical: words, attention, praise, entertainment. NOT used for literal food in this sense.

Common Mistakes

She ate up the cake.' (ambiguous — could mean literal eating)

She ate up the compliment.

Use 'eat up' figuratively only with non-food objects to mean 'enjoy eagerly'.

6.verbtransitive

Definition

A vulgar slang term for performing oral sex on someone — used in explicit sexual contexts only.

Example

The teacher warned students that this verb also has a vulgar slang meaning, so they should use it carefully.

In the uncensored version of the song, the lyric includes a crude line using the word in its explicit sense.

Grammar Patterns

eat + [person]

Usage Note

Very strong slang. Do not use in polite conversation, academic writing, or professional settings. The context of the sentence (informal, sexual) determines which sense is intended.

Word family

eat
verbA1
eater
nounB1
eatable
adjectiveB2
uneatable
adjectiveB2
eating
nounB1
overeat
verbB2
eatery
nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Eat' is the most common and neutral verb for taking food through the mouth. 'Have' is interchangeable for meals ('have lunch' in British English feels especially natural), but it cannot replace 'eat' for solid food items ('have a sandwich' is fine; 'have the soup' is fine; but 'have' implies a meal event, not the physical act). 'Consume' is formal and clinical, used in nutritional science or legal contracts. 'Feed' is used for babies, animals, or machines, not adults feeding themselves. 'Devour' means to eat very quickly and hungrily, adding drama that 'eat' lacks. Example contrast: 'He ate his dinner quietly' (neutral) vs 'He devoured his dinner in two minutes' (emphatic, rapid).

eat ↗have ↗consume ↗feed ↗devour ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

eat out
eat in
eat like a bird
eat like a horse
eat on the go
eat one's fill

Prepositions

at
in
out of
from
off
with

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'eat' comes from Old English 'etan' (to eat), which traces back to Proto-Germanic '*etaną' and further to the Proto-Indo-European root '*ed-' (to eat). This ancient root is shared with Latin 'edere' (to eat) and many other Indo-European languages. The noun 'eats' (meaning food) developed in informal American English in the early 20th century as a colloquial shortening.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1 Noun

Entries near

Previous entries

Next entries

eats

eats — noun

1. Food, especially a small amount, or a light meal — used in casual conversation o

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

eats — verb

1. To put food into your mouth, chew it, and swallow it; to have a meal.

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. To damage or destroy something gradually by chemical action, wear, or persistent

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. To accept and pay for a cost, expense, or financial loss, especially an unexpect

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

4. To bother, worry, or irritate someone — used especially in the question 'What's

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

5. To enjoy or absorb something — such as a book, performance, or experience — with

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

6. A vulgar slang term for performing oral sex on someone — used in explicit sexual

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Entries near

Entries near