eat out

British  

verb

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

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eat out Idioms  

1. 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 .

2. 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 .

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Example Sentences

But it all came to a head for me over the summer, when I found myself eating out a lot while my wife and kids were out of town.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I'm scraping," he chuckled dryly, saying his family has cut back on eating out and going on longer drives.

From Barron's

Higher prices are making people eat out less, especially younger and lower-income customers.

From Barron's

It was a controversial deal inked at the end of a Covid boom in groceries, when people were spending much more time at home and less money eating out.

From BBC

Restaurant traffic declined 1.9% last year as consumers pulled back on eating out, many put off by high prices, according to market-research firm Black Box Intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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