eat
/iːt/ (bre, ipa) · /iːt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈēt/ (ame, mw)
eat — 動詞
- 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
吃
將食物放入口中咀嚼吞下
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.
Megan 在那家新咖啡館午餐吃了一大碗麵。
eat + specific meal/food as object
After his morning run, Hao always eats an apple and a banana.
Hao 晨跑後總會吃一顆蘋果和一根香蕉。
habitual present simple with eat
The children ate all the cookies while their mother was in the garden.
孩子們趁媽媽在花園裡的時候，把餅乾全吃光了。
The doctor told my grandmother to eat more green vegetables every day.
醫生告訴我祖母每天要多吃綠色蔬菜。
Talia asked what her guests wanted to eat for breakfast at the hotel.
Talia 問她的客人早餐想在旅館吃什麼。
- 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
承擔
自行負擔成本或損失
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.
客戶取消訂單後，這家公司不得不承擔全部損失。
eat + financial loss
Small shops often eat the cost of returning faulty goods to keep customers happy.
小商店為了讓顧客滿意，常常自行負擔退換瑕疵品的費用。
eat the cost of [something]
The airline agreed to eat the cost of hotel rooms for the stranded passengers.
這家航空公司同意為受困旅客負擔旅館房間費用。
The builder ate the loss and fixed the roof instead of going to court.
這名建築商自行吸收損失並免費修理屋頂，而不是打官司。
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
侵蝕；耗盡
逐漸消耗或破壞
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.
海風慢慢侵蝕了舊大門上的金屬鎖。
eat away = gradual destruction by environment
The cost of repairs ate up most of the family's savings for the year.
維修費用耗盡了這家人今年大部分的積蓄。
eat up = consume entirely (financial)
Years of neglect had eaten away at the wooden floorboards in the kitchen.
多年的疏忽逐漸侵蝕了廚房裡的那些木地板。
The rising price of fuel ate into every delivery driver's weekly income.
燃料價格不斷上漲，侵蝕了每位送貨司機的每週收入。
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
困擾
持續困擾使人煩心
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.
Christopher 整個早上都不說話——我不知道今天到底是什麼事在困擾他。
what is eating [person]? = what is bothering them?
Guilt ate at Padma for years after she refused to help her brother.
Padma 因為當年拒絕幫助弟弟，多年來一直被罪惡感折磨。
eat at [person] = nagging, persistent worry
Resentment ate at Dario for months after his manager took credit for his work.
Dario 的主管將他的功勞據為己有，這份怨恨折磨了他好幾個月。
The thought of the final exam ate at Mert until he could not fall asleep.
期末考的念頭不斷困擾著 Mert，讓他無法入睡。
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 — 名詞
1. things that you can eat; food — used especially in an informal way when talking
食物
可吃的東西
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.
我們為海邊公園的野餐準備了一些食物和飲料。
eats (plural) = snacks/food for an outing
The night market is full of delicious eats from all across Asia.
這個夜市有來自亞洲各地的美味小吃。
The store sells ready-made eats for people who do not have time to cook.
那家商店販售即食食品，專為沒時間做飯的人設計。
There are plenty of vegan eats at the food trucks by the university campus.
大學校園旁的餐車有許多純素小吃可以選擇。
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.