- present participle of eat.
eating
Americannoun
-
the act of a person or thing that eats.
-
food with reference to its quality or tastiness when eaten.
This fish is delicious eating.
adjective
-
used in eating.
They brought out plates and eating utensils for dinner.
-
good or fit to eat, especially raw.
A sweet, crisp Gala is the perfect eating apple for a summer salad.
noun
adjective
-
relating to or suitable for eating, esp uncooked
eating pears
-
relating to or for eating
an eating house
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of eating
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English; eat ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; eat ( def. ) + -ing 2 for the adjective senses
Explanation
Eating is the act of consuming food. It would be nice to have lunch in the library instead of the cafeteria — but unfortunately, they don't allow any eating in there. The process of taking food in through your mouth — biting, chewing, tasting, swallowing — is eating. Figuratively, eating can also mean "wasting or destroying," the way rust consumes metal or anxiety gradually destroys a person's mental health. As an adjective, eating means "used for consuming," as in a set of eating utensils, complete with a spoon, fork, and knife. The Germanic etan, "consume or devour," is the root of eating.
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.
Also in Sweden there’s something called fika, which means taking a break, drinking coffee and eating cinnamon buns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
The education minister ended the trial because not enough children were eating the fruit and it was leading to a lot of wastage.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
"I was eating 12 eggs a day, like, 4,000 calories, training a lot," she says.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
There’s also the 5:2 diet, which involves eating normally five days out of the week, and consuming just 25% of your normal caloric intake the other two days.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
He is eating unwisely, refusing nursing advice, and ignoring doctor's orders.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
