eat out

verb

1. (intr, adverb) to eat away from home, esp in a restaurant

Idioms and Phrases

Have a meal outside one's home, usually at a restaurant. For example, We're almost out of groceries, so let's eat out tonight . [Second half of 1900s] For the antonym, see eat in .

eat someone out Also, eat someone up . Rebuke or scold someone sharply, as in He was always eating out the kids , or Why are you eating me up? I haven't done anything wrong . This slangy synonym for chew out probably originated as a euphemism for eat someone's ass out . It dates from the 1940s, the variant from the 1840s. Also see the subsequent entries beginning with eat out .

Related Words

• castigate 
• chide 
• rebuke 
• reprimand 
• reproach 
• revile 
• scold 
• upbraid