masticate

American  

[mas-ti-keyt] / ˈmæs tɪˌkeɪt /

verb (used with or without object)

masticates, present (3rd person singular) masticated, past participle, past masticating present participle

1. to chew.

2. to reduce to a pulp by crushing or kneading, as rubber.

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masticate British  

/ ˈmæstɪˌkeɪt /

verb

1. to chew (food)

2. to reduce (materials such as rubber) to a pulp by crushing, grinding, or kneading

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Usage

What does masticate mean? Masticate is a technical word meaning to chew. The word masticate is almost always used in a scientific or technical context. In the everyday context of eating, people usually just say chew. The noun form of masticate is mastication, which refers to the act of chewing. Less commonly, masticate means to reduce to a pulp by crushing or kneading, as is done in the rubber-making process. Example: When we masticate, saliva is released from glands under the tongue to aid in the process of chewing and swallowing.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mastication
  noun
• masticator
  noun
• remasticate
  verb
• half-masticated
  adjective
• masticable
  adjective
• unmasticated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• masticating
  present
• masticated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• masticate
  simple
• masticates
  simple
• have masticated
  perfect
• has masticated
  perfect
• am masticating
  progressive
• are masticating
  progressive
• is masticating
  progressive
• have been masticating
  perfect progressive
• has been masticating
  perfect progressive

Past

• masticated
  simple
• had masticated
  perfect
• was masticating
  progressive
• were masticating
  progressive
• had been masticating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will masticate
  simple
• will have masticated
  perfect
• will be masticating
  progressive
• will have been masticating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of masticate

First recorded in 1640–50; from Late Latin masticātus, past participle of masticāre “to chew”; see mastic, -ate ¹

Explanation

To masticate is to chew your food or to bite and grind stuff with your teeth. While humans use their teeth, primarily molars, to masticate their food, some animals have evolved other ways to do this. Some masticate by crushing food between hard plates on the top and bottom of their mouths, and others masticate by using a spiny tongue to break down their food.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

masticate masticates masticated masticating

And dogs have been known to yap and masticate their displeasure.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 27, 2020

“If you want to try and just feed me like a baby bird, I’m OK with that. Just masticate that up.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2017

"Nature will castigate those who don't masticate," Fletcher famously said.

From Chicago Tribune ● Nov. 19, 2014

Mary Berry will never masticate on telly again.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 11, 2013

“Cherries are the fruit. Pop 'em in, slide out the stone, masticate, swallow, finito. None of this...spatter and gore.”

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Several tense seconds pass as she masticates, before she declares the World's Most Expensive Hot Dog both "incredible" and "amazing."

From Salon ● May 28, 2021

With a final belch or fart, he’s off again as he masticates his final bite.

From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2018

At first, it’s entertaining to watch as Penn bares fangs and madly masticates screenwriter Will Beall’s overcooked dialogue.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2013

These he pops into his mouth, and there is an audible crunch as he masticates them into oblivion.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Whiskers" has developed cannibalistic tastes, for the hardened skin around my finger-nails is a favorite morceau which she digs out with her sharp jaws and masticates with seeming delight.

From The Dawn of Reason or, Mental Traits in the Lower Animals by Weir, James

You’ll be able to make your mark again, on a clean canvas just waiting for your expression of masticated public “art.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 19, 2023

One day it was a rich curried chicken, while nearby, the next day’s meal — a black-and-white cow tethered to a cellphone tower — placidly masticated some watermelon.

From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 2022

But it’s been endlessly masticated by experts, many of whom assert that it can be fashioned in a way that passes constitutional muster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2022

And this was that loud, angry man’s greatest trick: Chew on something reasonable; spit it back out as a masticated, unrecognizable blob.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 19, 2021

Miss Trixie asked, sticking out a tongueful of masticated luncheon meat and bread.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

“We’ve been basically clearing the forest of trees that are 8 inches and under, pruning trees up 8 to 10 feet for ladder purposes, and then chipping, masticating or exposing the material that we cut.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2023

“This never-ending task involves thinning trees with a variety of masticating and chipping equipment, chain saws and through the use of low-intensity ground fire when conditions permit,” officials said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2022

These machines are quicker and generally more inexpensive than slow or masticating juicers.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2020

I was likely just masticating anxiously in my sleep, the repercussions of which have earned me a super-sexy custom mouth guard in clear plastic covered by dental insurance.

From New York Times ● Jan. 20, 2020

The horse, which had been contentedly ripping up and masticating a clump of thick grass, stopped then.

From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman