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.

O’Grady ate ants and moved at night, managing to signal base with radio signal bursts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Both eagles left the two eggs unattended for several hours, and ravens ate them.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

To avoid yield traps we also looked for names whose quarterly dividend payments ate up no more than 75% of their earnings.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Participants recorded everything they ate using a mobile app and weighed themselves daily with a wireless scale.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

We ate until it was finished, core gone, seeds gone, everything gone, even the stem.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff