1. The food and drink that are served or consumed
   "The eats at the party were delicious";
   - fare, chow [informal], chuck [N. Amer, informal], grub [informal]

1. Have a meal
   "We did not eat until 10 P.M. because there were so many phone calls"; "I didn't eat yet, so I gladly accept your invitation"
    
2. Take in solid food
   "She was eating a banana"; "What did you eat for dinner last night?"
    
3. Cause to deteriorate due to the action of water, air, or an acid
   "The acid ate the metal";
   - corrode, rust
    
4. Worry or cause anxiety in a persistent way
   "What's eating you?"; "The unsolved mystery ate on him for years";
   - eat on
    
5. Utilize or spend available resources or supplies
   "this car eats up a lot of gas";
   - consume, eat up, use up, deplete, exhaust, run through, wipe out, use, expend

See also: dine in, dine out, eat up

Type of: consume, damage, drop, expend, food, have, ingest, nutrient, spend, take, take in, vex, worry

Encyclopedia: Eats, shoots, and leaves