1 to put food in your mouth, chew it and swallow it:
[V] I was too nervous to eat. * She doesn't eat sensibly (= doesn't eat food that is good for her). * [VN] I don't eat meat. * Would you like something to eat? * I couldn't eat another thing (= I have had enough food).
2 [V] to have a meal:
Where shall we eat tonight? * We ate at a pizzeria in town.
IDIOMS
eat sb alive (informal)
1 to criticize or punish sb severely because you are extremely angry with them:
He'll eat you alive if he ever finds out.
2 to defeat sb completely in an argument, a competition, etc:
The defence lawyers are going to eat you alive tomorrow.
3 [usuallypassive] (of insects, etc.) to bite sb many times:
I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes.
eat your heart out! (spoken) used to compare two things and say that one of them is better:
Look at him dance! Eat your heart out, John Travolta (= he dances even better than John Travolta).
eat your heart out (for sb/sth) (especially BrE) to feel very unhappy, especially because you want sb/sth you cannot have:
I'm not going to mope at home, eating my heart out for some man.
eat humble pie (BrE) (AmE eat crow) to say and show that you are sorry for a mistake that you made
ORIGIN From a pun on the old word umbles, meaning 'offal', which was considered inferior food.
eat like a horse (informal) to eat a lot:
She may be thin, but she eats like a horse.
eat out of your / sb's hand to trust sb and be willing to do what they say:
She'll have them eating out of her hand in no time.
eat sb out of house and home (informal, often humorous) to eat a lot of sb else's food:
How much longer is he staying? He's eating us out of house and home.
eat your words to admit that what you said was wrong
I could eat a horse (spoken) used to say that you are very hungry
I'll eat my hat (spoken) used to say that you think sth is very unlikely to happen:
If she's here on time, I'll eat my hat!
what's eating him, etc.? (spoken) used to ask what sb is annoyed or worried about
moreatCAKEn., DOGn.
PHRASALVERBS
eat sth<->away to reduce or destroy sth gradually:
The coastline is being eaten away year by year.
eat away at sth/sb
1 to reduce or destroy sth gradually:
Woodworm had eaten away at the door frame. * His constant criticism ate away at her self-confidence.
2 to worry sb over a period of time:
The thought of her child left helpless and alone ate away at her.
eat into sth
1 to use up a part of sth, especially sb's money or time:
Those repair bills have really eaten into my savings.
2 to destroy or damage the surface of sth:
Rust had eaten into the metal.
eat out to have a meal in a restaurant, etc. rather than at home:
Do you feel like eating out tonight?
eat up
