ate

[eyt, et] / eɪt, ɛt /

VERB

consume food

Synonyms

STRONGEST

attack bite chew devour dine feed ingest inhale nibble pick swallow

STRONG

absorb banquet bolt breakfast cram digest dispatch gorge gormandize graze lunch masticate munch nosh ruminate scarf scoff snack sup wolf

WEAK

break bread chow down dispose of fall to feast upon gobble up have a bite have a meal have for make pig of oneself partake of peck at pig out polish off pork out put away take food take in take nourishment

Antonyms

STRONGEST

abstain

STRONG

misunderstand open

WEAK

build maintain preserve

VERB

erode, wear away; use up

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bite drain nibble

STRONG

condense corrode crumble decay decompose disappear disintegrate dissipate dissolve exhaust gnaw liquefy melt rot rust spill squander vanish

WEAK

run through waste away

Antonyms

STRONG

appear arrive build coagulate combine develop flourish grow hoard improve put together save solidify unite

WEAK

maintain preserve

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

His family dropped off wings, burgers and fries, but the food got cold before he ate it.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the evening, they made and ate dinner together as a family, watched Netflix with the kids, and went to sleep.

From MarketWatch

In his free time, he went to concerts and movies, watched soccer matches, and ate his first Chinese meal.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the study, mice ate a high fat, low carbohydrate diet and ran regularly on exercise wheels.

From Science Daily

When each bird was holding a berry they all faced front and ate them, working the pulp off until they had the meat and spitting out the center pit.

From Literature